
(lass CjPiinZ.T 






DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director 

Water-supply Paper 317 



GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATERS 



OF THE 



WICHITA REGION, NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS 



BY 



C. H. GORDON 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1913 



Monograph 



m 



/ 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director 



Water- Supply Paper 317 



GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATERS 



OF THE 



rf 



WICHITA REGION, NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS 



BY 



C. H. GORDON 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1913 




1/ 



\° ^ 



& \x 



D. OF D. 
MAY XI 1913 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Introduction 5 

Location and area 5 

Purpose of the investigation 5 

Field work and acknowledgments 6 

Literature 6 

Physiography 7 

Climate 8 

Surface waters 9 

Deep waters 10 

Occurrence 10 

Relation to rock structure 11 

Quality of underground water 11 

Fluctuating wells . 12 

Geologic formations and their water-bearing capacity 13 

General relations .* 13 

Carboniferous system 14 

Pennsylvanian series 14 

Classification 14 

Strawn formation v"- - -. 15 

Geology 15 

Water resources 15 

Canyon formation . 16 

Geology 16 

Water resources 17 

Cisco formation 17 

Geology 17 

Water resources 21 

Permian series 21 

Classification 21 

Wichita formation 22 

Geology 22 

Character 22 

Fossils 23 

Copper 25 

Oil 25 

Conditions of sedimentation 26 

Thickness 27 

Water resources 27 

Clear Fork and Double Mountain formations 28 

Geology 28 

Water resources 29 

Cretaceous system 29 

Comanche series 29 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

Geologic formations and their water-bearing capacity — Continued. Page. 

Quaternary system 30 

Pleistocene series 30 

Seymour formation 30 

Geology 30 

Water resources 32 

Recent series 32 

Geology 32 

Water resources 34 

Summary and recommendations 34 

Description by counties 35 

Montague County 35 

Clay County 44 

Wichita County 50 

Archer County 55 

Wilbarger County 57 

Hardeman and Foard counties 60 

Knox County 63 

Haskell County 64 

Baylor County 67 

Throckmorton County 70 

Young County 72 

Jack County 78 

Index 87 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 

Plate I. Geologic sketch map of the Wichita region, north-central Texas 5 

11. A. ()u ; crop of gypsum at Acme, Tex.; B, Spring from the Canyon 

formation at Jacksboro, Tex 60 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 317 PLATE I 



1 1 Seymour formation 



Goodland limestone and 




Contour interval 250 feet 
GEOLOGIC SKETCH MAP OF THE WICHITA REGION, NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS. 



6 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

Field work and acknowledgments. — Portions of the field seasons of 
each of the years 1906 and 1907 were devoted to investigations for 
this report. During the first season the work was done by the writer 
alone. During the second season he was assisted by Messrs. Leon F. 
Russ, of the University of Texas, and Frank Brock, of the University 
of Kansas, to whose efficient services he is much indebted. The 
necessity for rapid work in a region so difficult of study makes the 
adequate treatment of the stratigraphic problem impossible, but it 
is believed that the results of the investigation constitute an impor- 
tant if small contribution to the solution of the problem connected 
with the much-discussed "Red Beds" of Texas. 

LITERATURE. 

Much of the literature relating to this region is widely scattered, 
and no attempt is made to present here a complete bibliography of it. 
The effort has been made, however, to compile a list of the writings 
of chief importance on the problems involved in the preparation of 
this report. For a more exhaustive record of the publications relating 
to the geology of Texas the reader is referred to the excellent bibliog- 
raphies of Hill ■ and Simonds. 2 

Adams, G. I., Stratigraphic relations of the Red Beds to the Carboniferous and Permian 

in northern Texas: Bull. Geol. Soc. America, vol. 14, 1903, pp. 191-200. 
Beede, J. W., Invertebrate paleontology of the upper Permian Red Beds of Oklahoma 

and the panhandle of Texas: Sci. Bull. Kansas Univ., vol. 4, No. 3, March, 1907, 

pp. 115-172. 
Case, E. C, New or little-known vertebrates from the Permian of Texas: Jour. 

Geology, vol. 11, 1903, pp. 394-402. 
The osteology of Embolophorus dolovianus, with an attempted restoration: 

Jour. Geology, vol. 11, 1903, pp. 1-28. 
The character of the Wichita and Clear Fork divisions of the Permian of Texas: 

Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 23. 1907, pp. 659-664. 

The Permian of Texas: Am. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., vol. 43, 1892, pp. 9-12. 

On the value of the evidence furnished by vertebrate fossils of age of certain 



so-called Permian beds in America: Jour. Geology, vol. 16, 1908, pp. 572-580. 

Cope, E. D., Description of extinct Batrachia and Reptilia from the Permian forma- 
tion of Texas: Proc. Am. Philos. Soc, vol. 17, 1878, pp. 518 et seq. 

Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna of the Permian formation of Texas 

and the Indian Territory: Proc. Am. Philos. Soc. (various papers). 

Cummins, W. F., The Permian of Texas and its overlying beds: First Ann. Rept. 
Texas Geol. Survey, 1889, pp. 183-189. 

Report on the geology of northern Texas: Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. 

Survey, 1890, pp. 357-552. 

Notes on the geology of northwest Texas: Fourth Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. 



Survey, 1892, pp. 177-238. 

Texas Permian: Trans. Texas Acad. Sci., vol. 2, 1897, pp. 93-98. 

Drake, N. F., Report on the Colorado coal field: Fourth Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. 

Survey, 1892, pp. 355-460. 

i Hill, R. T., The present condition of knowledge of the geology of Texas: Boll. U. S. Geol. Survey 
No. 45, 1887. 

» Simonds, F. W., A record of the geology of Texas for the decade ending Dec. 31, 1896. Trans. Texas 
Acad. Sci., voL 3, 1899, pp. 17-296. 



LITERATURE. 7 

Dumble, E. T., Existence of artesian waters west of the ninety-seventh meridian: 

S. Ex. Doc. No. 222, 51st Cong., 1st sess., 1890, pp. 99-102. 
Localities and horizons of Permian vertebrate fossils in Texas: Jour. Geology, 

vol. 16, 1908, pp. 737-745. 
Fontaine, W. M., Fossil plants from the Permian of Texas: Bull. Geol. Soc. America, 

vol. 13, 1891, p. 217. 
Gould, C. N., Geology and water resources of the western portion of the panhandle 

of Texas: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 154, 1907. 
Gordon, C. H., Girty, G. H., and White, David, The Wichita formation of north- 
ern Texas: Jour. Geology, vol. 19, 1911, pp. 110-134. 
Hill, R. T., Classification and origin of the chief geographic features of the Texas 

region: Am. Geologist, vol. 5, 1890, pp. 9-29; 68-80. 
Hyatt, Alpheus, Carboniferous cephalopods: Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Sur- 
vey, 1890, pp. 327-356; Fourth Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1892, pp. 377-474. 
Marcou, Jules, On the classification of the Dyas, Trias, and Jura in northwest Texas: 

Am. Geologist, vol. 10, 1892, pp. 369-377. 
Prosser, C. S., The anthracolithic or upper Paleozoic rocks of Kansas and related 

regions: Jour. Geology, vol. 18, 1910, pp. 125-161. 
Roesler, F. E., Location of wells within the area of the ninety-seventh meridian and 

east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains: S. Ex. Doc. No. 222, 51st Cong., 

1st sess., 1890, pp. 243-319. 
Schmitz, E. J., Copper ores in the Permian of Texas: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., 

vol. 26, 1896, pp. 97-108. 
Tarr, R. S., Superimposition of drainage in central Texas: Am. Jour. Sci.. 3d ser., 

vol. 40, 1890, pp. 359-362. 
Preliminary report on the coal fields of the Colorado River: First Ann. Rept. 

Texas Geol. Survey, 1889, pp. 199-216. 
Thompson, R. A., Soils, water supply, and irrigation of the Colorado coal field: Fourth 

Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1892, pp. 477-481. 
Weitzel, R. S., The coal field of Texas (extract of a paper read before the Ohio Insti- 
tute of Mining Engineers): Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 50, 1890, pp. 214-216. 
White, C. A., On the fauna of the Permian of Baylor, Archer, and Wichita counties, 

Tex.: Am. Naturalist, vol. 22, 1888, p. 926. 

On the Permian formation of Texas: Am. Naturalist, vol. 23, 1889, pp. 109-128. 

Administrative report, Mesozoic division of invertebrate paleontology: Tenth 

Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 1, 1890, pp. 162-165. 
The Texas Permian and its Mesozoic types' of fossils: Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey 

No. 77, 1891, p. 51; Trans. Am. Philos. Soc, vol. 16, pp. 285-288. 
White, I. C. Fossil plants of the Wichita or Permian beds of Texas: Bull. Geol. Soc. 

America, vol. 3, 1892, pp. 217-218. 
Williston, S. W., New or little-known Permian vertebrates: Jour. Geology, vol. 17, 

1909, pp. 636-658. 

Dissorophus Cope: Jour. Geology, vol. 18, 1910, pp. 526-536. 

New Permian reptiles: Rhachitomous vertebra: Jour. Geology, vol. 18, 1910, 

pp. 585-600. 
Restoration of Seymouria baylorensis Broili: Jour. Geology, vol. 19, 1911, pp. 



232-237. 

PHYSIO GRAPHY. 



The surface of the region constitutes in the main a gently eastward- 
sloping plain dissected by well-marked systems of drainage. It has 
an elevation of about 1,000 feet above sea level at the east and about 
1,600 feet at the west, showing an average eastward slope of about 
5.5 feet to the mile. The valleys are relatively wide and are bounded 



8 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

by abrupt escarpments within which the rivers flow in broad, shallow 
channels. During stages of high water the channels may be filled 
from side to side, but in dry seasons the streams may shrink to the 
dimensions of brooks and may wind about through the sands of the 
wide flood plain. 

Extending through Shackelford, Throckmorton, and Baylor coun- 
ties, from Albany north to the vicinity of Harrold, is a series of rock 
terraces along which the surface descends in a succession of escarp- 
ments 150 to 250 feet in height. These scarps mark the outcropping 
edges of limestone strata which constitute a prominent feature of the 
Wichita formation toward the south. Scattered over the plain sur- 
face in the western part of the area are many eminences rising from 
100 to 200 feet above the general level; they are remnants of an 
older plain surface, the main portion of which lies to the west of the 
area. 

Owing to the change in the character of the formations in the 
terrace belt in their northward extensions, the contrast in relief that 
is notable in the western and eastern portions of the region becomes 
less well defined in the northern portion and appears only in the 
increase of gradient in the surface level, as shown, for example, in 
the profile of the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway. 

The plain lying to the east of the terrace belt is moderately dis- 
sected by the streams and their tributaries, but the relief on the 
whole is not so marked as in the higher surfaces on the west; in general 
the stream valleys are wider and shallower and the interstream areas 
more worn and rounded. Instead, therefore, of level interstream 
areas trenched by narrow and deep channels, as in the western part 
of the region, the eastern part has an irregular rolling surface of mod- 
erate relief. The explanation of these physiographic features is to 
be found in the effects of erosion as determined in large part appar- 
ently by the character of the rocks. 

CLIMATE. 

The region lies at the border of the semiarid portion of the United 
States. The mean annual rainfall ranges between 32 inches in the 
eastern and 23 inches in the western part of the region. The mean 
annual temperature is 64° F. in the eastern part and 60° F. in the 
western part. 

The line of 20 inches of annual rainfall, which is the approximate 
limit of agriculture without irrigation, follows closely the foot of 
the Llano Estacado, about 60 miles west of the region here discussed. 
The average annual rainfall in the Wichita region is 29 inches. In 
the eastern half of the region the average is nearly 31 inches; in 
the western half it is about 26.5 inches. The westernmost tier of 
counties, Hardeman, Foard, Knox, and Haskell, have an average 



SUKFACE WATERS. 9 

of 25 inches. The maximum precipitation occurs in the eastern- 
most counties, Montague having 35 inches, Clay 32 inches, and 
Jack 33 inches. The records show in general a regular decrease in 
rainfall from the east toward the west, but Wichita County departs 
from the rule in having an average fall of only 25 inches, which is 
less than that of any of its adjoining counties — Wilbarger and Bay- 
lor on the west having 28 inches each, Archer on the south 30 inches, 
and Clay on the east 32 inches. The rainfall in this portion of the 
State comes mainly from the Gulf of Mexico and descends most- 
abundantly in the winter. 

SURFACE WATERS. 

The drainage of the region is toward the east and southeast, in 
the direction of the general slope. The northern half is drained 
by tributaries of Red River, chief of which are Wichita, Little 
Wichita, and Pease rivers. The southwestern portion is drained 
by the Brazos through its two main tributaries — Salt and Clear 
forks — and the southeastern portion is drained by the West Fork 
of Trinity River. Only the large streams have permanent supplies 
of water, and in dry weather even these dwindle to mere brooks. 

The unindurated character of the formations over considerable 
portions of the district favors rapid erosion during times of freshet 
and the larger streams are choked by the abundance of material 
supplied to them by their tributaries. They partake, therefore, of 
the nature of overloaded streams. Except in times of freshet the 
bottoms of the wide channels are covered with sand bars, and much 
of the water sinks below the surface. Owing to the treacherous 
character of these beds of sand, the fording of the streams often 
becomes a matter of considerable difficulty and even of danger. 

Interesting examples of the physiographic development of valleys 
are presented in the streams of the region, especially by the Brazos 
and its tributaries, Salt and Clear forks. Tarr * has called attention 
to the superimposed character of the drainage of the region and to the 
differences in the work accomplished by the Brazos and the Colorado. 
He remarks that the Brazos, owing to the accidental selection of a 
region of softer rocks, has had the advantage in the struggle for 
drainage territory and has been enabled "to push the divide close up 
to the Colorado in territory which under more favorable circumstances 
should belong to the latter stream." The general course of the Brazos 
and its tributaries has been selected without reference to the struc- 
tural character of the beds upon which it flows; nevertheless, the 
effect of variations in the hardness of the rocks is clearly registered 
in the differences in the work accomplished by the streams in the 
different parts of their courses. Both the Clear Fork, from the point 

> Tarr, R. S. t Superimposition of the drainage in central Texas: Am. Jour. ScL, 3d ser., vol. 40, 1890, pp. 
359-362. 



10 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



where it enters Shackelford County to its junction with the main 
stream, and the Brazos itself, to and beyond the point where it leaves 
the region, flow with serpentine courses in comparatively narrow 
valleys with more or less prominent rock escarpments. In this portion 
of its course the Brazos has been working upon a series of rocks in 
which hard limestones are conspicuous. On the other hand, the 
Salt Fork flows throughout most of its course upon softer beds in 
which it has excavated a valley much wider than that of the Clear 
Fork or that of the main stream below the junction. The serpentine 
course so characteristic of the Clear Fork and of portions of the Brazos 
is not a feature of the Salt Fork. West of Seymour the stream flows 
in a valley 2 to 4 miles in width which has been excavated to a depth 
of 50 to 60 feet below the general plain level. An important stage in 
its physiographic history is recorded in the remnants of a terrace 
which occurs about 25 feet above the present flood plain. At Seymour 
the river crosses a belt of limestone and for several miles is confined 
within a rock-walled valley not exceeding a mile in width. After 
passing this obstruction the valley again widens to 4 or 5 miles. The 
25-foot terrace probably finds its explanation in the obstruction at 
Seymour, but their relation has yet to be determined. 

DEEP WATERS. 

Occurrence. — The water which permeates the rocks has its source in 
the rainf alL It does not come wholly nor, it may be, mainly from the 
local precipitation, but may be derived from some far-distant region 
where the rocks come to the surface and form catchment areas for 
the rain. This is especially the case where deep-lying rocks are 
overlain by impervious strata which effectually prevent the water 
falling locally from rinding its way into the strata below. Shallow 
wells derive their supplies from the rainfall of the immediate locality 
or from closely adjacent regions. 

The upper surface of the ground water, called the water table, 
conforms in a general way to the surface of the ground, being higher 
under elevated areas than under valleys. The depth to the water 
level is, however, generally greater under the hills than under the 
valleys. Where the streams have cut their valleys to the level of the 
water table, springs and seeps abound along the valley sides. The 
fact that the water obtained from shallow wells comes from the 
surface suggests the dangers involved in their use, especially where 
they are most liable to contamination, as in towns and cities. Many 
people suppose that any contaminating elements absorbed at the 
surface by the water will be soon removed in its course through the 
ground, but this is not invariably the case. Some deleterious sub- 
stances go into solution and can not then be removed by filtration, 
and certain injurious microbes sometimes present along with harmless 



DEEP WATE2S. 11 

ones in the soil waters may find their way for long distances under- 
ground. The waters obtained from deeper sources are rarely subject 
to surface contamination. 

Relation to rock structure. — The distribution of underground waters 
depends on the character and the arrangement or geologic structure of 
the rocks. A knowledge of the geology of the region is therefore 
necessary in order to understand the underground water conditions. 
Rocks which have had their origin as sediments at the bottom of some 
body of water are arranged in a succession of layers, varying according 
to the character and abundance of the materials supplied and the con- 
ditions under which they were deposited. Normally the different 
strata would lie in regular succession, the oldest being at the bottom 
and the youngest at the top. The strata were not laid down in a per- 
fectly horizontal position and, moreover, in most places they have 
been somewhat tilted since they were deposited. In view of this 
inclination of the beds and of the fact that erosion has modified the 
surface of the land, each stratum is likely to make its appearance at 
the surface somewhere, under conditions determined by the character 
and thickness of the rock bed, the dip of the strata, and the surface 
relief. A rock sheet, therefore, consists of two related parts, the out- 
crop, or exposed portion, and the embed, or portion which is concealed. 
As a rule the embed is by far the larger part of the stratum. In a 
water-bearing stratum the outcrop is its main catchment area and 
the embed constitutes the storage reservoir. 

The capacity of rocks for absorbing water varies greatly. Rocks 
of open texture, like sands, sandstones, and gravels, imbibe water 
freely. Rocks of close texture may be nearly or quite impervious. 
Thus slate, marble, and granite imbibe very little water unless they 
are fractured. Limestones may become water bearing through the 
development of spaces and channels by solution. The conditions 
which determine the availability of deep-lying water are (1) the 
presence of a water-bearing stratum capped by an impervious stratum 
whereby the water is prevented from being dissipated into the adjoin- 
ing beds; (2) a sufficient outcrop or catchment area in a region of 
sufficient rainfall to furnish a water supply; (3) an inclination of the 
water-bearing bed not so great as to carry it too quickly beyond the 
reach of the drill; (4) the absence of openings which will permit the 
escape of the water at a level below the well; (5) such relation be- 
tween the elevation of the outcrop and that of the top of the well that 
hydrostatic pressure will bring the water to the surface or so near to 
it as to be economically available by pumping. 

Quality of underground waters. — All underground waters are min- 
eralized to a greater or less extent. The composition of the waters is 
determined by the character of the rocks through which they pass 
and the kind and proportion of mineral ingredients which they take 



12 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

into solution. Moreover the quantity of mineral matter taken into 
solution is likely to be greater in proportion to the distance from the 
point of entry. Hence water from shallow wells in the catchment 
area of formations which contain much soluble mineral matter may 
be fairly good, while that from the same formations under cover may 
be too highly charged with deleterious mineral matter to be used. 

To yield abundant and satisfactory supplies of water the water-bear- 
ing stratum should be sufficiently porous to permit the free movement 
of the water and should contain only a small proportion of readily soluble 
mineral compounds which render the water bad for use. The most 
abundant of such substances in this area are the carbonates and sul- 
phates of calcium, magnesium, and sodium and the chloride of sodium, 
or common salt. The prevailing type of water from the Permian beds 
is highly charged with sulphates, carbonates, calcium, magnesium, 
and sodium, and the water of the Carboniferous rocks is for the most 
part strongly impregnated with salt. The mineral ingredients of 
rocks are not uniformly distributed, and hence wells at different places 
in the same formation may yield water very unlike in quality. For 
example, at Graham and Jacksboro wells hi close proximity to each 
other yield water that is wholly unlike in quality. (See analyses Xos. 
2 and 3, p. 77.) 

Fluctuating wells. — According to G. A. Stafford, of Belcherville, 
who has put down a number of wells in Montague County, water in 
many wells in the county whose depth is from 60 to 120 feet is lowered 
when the wind blows from the north. On the other hand, it is 
said that the watei in some shallow wells is lower when the wind is 
from the south. The probable explanation is that the ground-water 
level is affected by changes in barometric pressure. With decrease 
in barometric pressure the water will rise, and with increase in pres- 
sure it will descend. Such wells are often called " weather wells," 
from the fact that they indicate the change in weather which is also 
indicated by the change in barometric pressure. With this phenom- 
enon is sometimes associated a clouding or boiling of the water. 
This also is probably due to change in barometric pressure, which 
affects the water surface over a large area and causes a movement 
whereby the water gathers up the fine clayey material in the sand- 
rock and thus becomes cloudy. In some wells there is a daily fluc- 
tuation, the rising and falling accompanying the daily change in 
pressure, or it may be the changes of temperature. The fine material 
in the water of this region contains a considerable percentage of iron 
oxide, and cloudy water taken from a well requires a considerable 
time to settle. This appearance is sometimes taken as an indication 
of oil and some persons even assert that the water smells of oil. 
Although it is not improbable that oil exists in small quantities in 



GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS. 13 

the rocks of this region, it is the opinion of the writer that the sup- 
posed indications of oil are due to the presence of the iron, a very 
small quantity of which is sufficient to give the appearance described. 
In favor of this conclusion is the statement of Mr. Stafford that the 
water, after standing for some time, tends to clear at the top by 
settling, whereas if oil were present it would remain at the top. 

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS AND THEIR WATER-BEARING 

CAPACITY. 

GENERAL RELATIONS. 

All the rocks of this region are of sedimentary origin, except possi- 
bly a deposit at Red Bluff, near Vernon, which is said to be volcanic 
ash. 1 Except in the Cretaceous area in the eastern part of Montague 
County the basement rocks are all of Carboniferous age (Pennsyl- 
vanian or Permian). They consist of limestones, clays, shales, 
sandstones, and conglomerates. The shales and sandstones in 
many places are soft and yield readily to erosive agencies. The 
limestones are harder and more resistant and appear in outcropping 
ledges and rock terraces, which in some localities constitute notable 
features of the topography. 

The Carboniferous strata have a general west-northwest dip of 
about 25 to 30 feet to the mile, though locally they are horizontal or 
dip in the opposite direction. No faulting or extensive folding was 
observed within the region. That the formations have suffered 
pronounced erosion is shown by the present configuration of the 
surface and by the indications that in former times the region was 
covered to a considerable depth by rocks of which only traces remain. 
Triassic and Jurassic beds are not known in this region, though 
formations of Triassic age doubtless supplied much of the material 
composing the Pleistocene gravel beds in the Seymour formation. 
Hill 2 and Tarr 3 have shown the former extension of Cretaceous rocks 
over large areas in central Texas from which they have been removed, 
though Comstock 4 takes an opposite view with reference to the 
"central mineral region." The only Cretaceous rocks in place within 
the region here considered are in the eastern part of Montague 
County, which belongs to the main Cretaceous area lying farther 
east. In the region south and west of this area remnants of Creta- 
ceous formations occur as isolated knobs and buttes, which indicate 
the former extension of the Cretaceous over the Carboniferous area 
as far north as Wichita Eiver and possibly into Oklahoma. Cum- 

» Soil survey of the Vernon area: Field Operations Bur. Soils for 1902, U. S. Dept. Agr., p. 369. 

* Hill, R. T., Geography and geology of the Black and Grand prairies, Texas: Twenty-first Ann. 
Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 7, 1901, p. 108. 

• Tarr, R. S., Am. Geologist, vol. 9, 1892, pp. 169-178. 

« Comstock, T. B., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, pp. 663-664. 



14 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

mins ' is of the opinion that the Cretaceous extended in a narrow belt 
across the southern border of the Carboniferous, but not as far north 
as Wichita River. The presence of worn Cretaceous fossils in abun- 
dance in the surficial gravels and sands in Haskell and Knox coun- 
ties indicates the former extension of Cretaceous beds far beyond 
their present limits. The Tertiary appears to be unrepresented in 
this region, but the character of part of the material composing the 
Seymour formation (Pleistocene) suggests that some of it was 
derived from Tertiary beds whose remnants outcrop in the escarp- 
ment of the Llano Estacado to the west of this region. In the valley 
of the Wichita, in Wichita County, there are some gravels which 
may possibly be of Tertiary age. Prior to the Cretaceous period the 
Carboniferous strata suffered great erosion, and upon the beveled 
edges thus produced the Cretaceous sediments were laid down. As 
the Cretaceous beds dip toward the southeast, the rainfall in the 
Cretaceous area of this region is drained away in the same direction 
through the porous beds. The principal catchment area for the 
Carboniferous terranes probably lies west of the boundary of the 
Cretaceous formations. 

As the surface of the land rises to the west, in the direction of the 
dip, the prospects of obtaining flowing wells are poor except in 
localities near the outcrop of the water-bearing beds where erosion 
has locally lowered the surface level below that of the artesian heads. 
Such localities exist in the southeastern part of Stephens County, the 
western part of Jack County, and the western part of Montague 
County. 

CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 

PENNSYLVANIAN SERIES. 
CLASSIFICATION. 

The undoubted Pennsylvanian rocks of the region are divided into 
three formations, the division being based on differences in litho- 
logic and stratigraphic character. From above downward these 
formations are as follows: 

Section of Pennsylvanian formations in Wichita region, Texas. 

Feet. 
Cisco formation (clay, shale, conglomerate, and sandstone with 

some limestone and coal) 800 

Canyon formation (alternating beds of limestone and clay with 
some sandstone and conglomerate) 800 

Strawn formation (alternating beds of sandstone and clay with 
some conglomerate and shale; the lower thousand feet consists 
of blue and black clay locally containing beds of limestone, 
sandstone, or sandy shale, and a coal seam at top) 1, 900 

i Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, pp. 370-371. 



CAKBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 15 



STRAWN FORMATION. 
GEOLOGY. 



The upper three-fourths of the Strawn formation as here defined 
consists of sandstones alternating with beds of blue clay. It contain 
some conglomerates and shales, but they are not abundant, and 
limestones are rare. The sandstones are usually massive, of a light 
gray color, which changes very little on exposure, and they afford a 
very good building stone. The rock consists largely of angular grains 
of white quartz with some red grains and some mica. It contains a 
little cement, which is mostly siliceous, though calcareous and argil- 
laceous materials occur in some of the beds. The thickness of these 
upper beds is estimated to be 800 to 900 feet in this region. They 
thicken toward the south, in central Texas, where they are said 
to have a thickness of 3,000 feet. The lower portion, about 1,000 
feet thick, was originally called by Cummins 1 the Millsap divi- 
sion, but these beds were later included by him in the Strawn forma- 
tion, from which, he states, they are inseparable to the south. It is 
his later definitions of the Strawn formation that are here recognized, 
and " Millsap" is abandoned. 3 These lower beds have a compara- 
tively small outcrop, being largely concealed by an overlap of the 
Cretaceous to the east. This overlap makes a very definite deter- 
mination of their thickness impossible, but it is estimated at about 
1,000 feet. The beds appear at the surface only in the extreme south- 
eastern part of the region, the westerly dip carrying them below the 
surface in the remaining portion. These lower beds consist largely 
of blue and black clay, with a few beds of shale, sandstone, and lime- 
stone. The limestones are compact and hard and according to Cum- 
mins have been used for macadam on the streets of Dallas. Toward 
the south these beds, if present, are completely concealed from view 
by the Cretaceous. They reappear in the northern part of Erath 
County. According to Cummins* a deep well at Thurber passed 
through 1,000 feet of blue clay, with some sandstones and limestones, 
belonging to this division. At the top of the beds is the coal seam 
which Cummins designates No. 1. 

WATER RESOURCES. 

Portions of the lower beds of the Strawn formation are porous and 
water bearing and are reported to contain gas in some localities. 
At Gordon and Thurber gas and water are found in this part of the 

i Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, pp. 372-373. 

J Prof. Cummins, being asked for his opinion regarding the usefulness of the term "Millsap," writes as 
follows, under date of November 18, 1912: "It was my intention to abandon the name 'Millsap' and include 
the strata in the Strawn division. In all my publications after the first and second reports the name 
Millsap was not used. I thought it the better plan. The beds referred to the Millsap in the northern 
field could not be separated from the Strawn in the southern field. The name Millsap for the Texas field 
ought to be abandoned." 

3 C ummin s, W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, p. 374. 



16 UNDEEGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

formation. The water contains too much salt to be of general use, 
and hence these beds can not be utilized as a source of water supply. 
The sandstones in the upper part of the formation likewise contain an 
abundance of water, and in the area of its outcrop water is obtained 
in shallow wells at depths ranging from 15 to 50 feet. Several 
flowing wells in Palo Pinto County derive their supply from this 
formation. In one of these, at Gordon, in the southern part of the 
county, 1 the water-bearing stratum was found at a depth of 485 feet. 
The well is reported to have a flow of 1 gallon a minute of salt water 
accompanied by some gas. Another well, 4 miles north of Gordon, 
is 498 feet deep and has approximately the same flow of water. 

It is not probable that in their extension under cover westward 
these beds would undergo any change in character that would improve 
the quality of the water, and hence there is little likelihood that wells 
sunk to tins horizon would furnish potable supplies. 

CANYON FORMATION. 
GEOLOGY. 

The Canyon formation consists of alternating beds of blue limestones 
and blue clays, with some sandstones and conglomerates. The 
limestones for the most part are massively bedded and constitute the 
distinguishing feature of the formation. Many of the beds are rough 
and irregular in texture and unsuited for building purposes, but 
some ledges furnish a stone of good quality. The few sandstones 
are more or less friable and porous. The formation has a thickness 
of about 800 feet. It outcrops in a narrow belt extending northeast- 
ward across Jack County. The west boundary of the formation 
enters at the southwest corner of the county, passes northeastward 
through Jacksboro and beyond, and thence curves eastward and 
meets the west boundary of the overlapping Cretaceous in the north- 
ern part of Wise County. 

A general section of the upper part of the Canyon formation follows: 

Section of upper part of Canyon formation. 

1. Sandstones and clays (Cisco formation). Feet. 

2. Limestone 20-25 

3. Sands, sandstones, and conglomerates 100± 

4. Limestone, massive, with thin beds of sand 20 

5. Shales 80-125 

6. Sandstones with water and in places oil 10-20 

7. Shales 15-20 

8. Limestone 35 

» S. Ex. Doc. No. 222, 51st Cong., 1st sess., 1890, p. 257. 



CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 17 



WATER RESOURCES. 



Limestone rocks as a rule are too dense to permit trie free movement 
of water, but some limestones are sufficiently porous to absorb it in 
considerable quantities. Limestones are usually intersected by frac- 
tures, however, which offer passageways, and these the water by its 
solvent action enlarges, the rate at which enlargement takes place 
being determined by the amount of water, its character — especially 
as to the carbon dioxide contained in it — and the solubility of the 
rock. Underground channels and caverns are thus a characteristic 
feature of limestone regions. Near the top of the Canyon formation 
is a series of massively bedded limestones whose outcrop extends across 
the eastern part of Stephens County and the western part of Palo 
Pinto County, continues northeastward past Finis and Jacksboro, and 
disappears beneath overlying formations near the boundary between 
Jack and Wise counties. 

In the area where the Canyon formation crops out springs are 
numerous and water can generally be found in shallow wells. The 
water is found chiefly in the sandstone beds. The second of these 
from the top (No. 3 in the section) appears at the surface on Little 
Caddo Creek and at Finis and Jacksboro. Most of the wells, however, 
derive their supplies from the sands (No. 6) below the second lime- 
stone. This is the horizon of the water-bearing stratum in the wells 
at Jacksboro. The character of the water differs greatly in wells in 
close proximity. In many of the wells good water is found, but not 
far away from a well of good water may be one in which the water is 
wholly unfit for use. To the west the Canyon formation is overlain 
by the Cisco formation. The depth of the beds increases in that 
direction because of the dip of the strata and the rise in the land sur- 
face. At Breckenridge, in Stephens County, the water-bearing beds 
of the Canyon formation can be reached at akout 250 to 300 feet, and 
at the west boundary of Stephens County at about 1,000 feet. In 
neither place are flowing wells likely to be obtained, though at Breck- 
enridge the water would doubtless rise within 50 or 100 feet of the 
surface. 

With increasing distance from the outcrop the water tends to 
become more highly mineralized, and it is doubtful if good water 
can be obtained from these beds at distances greater than 10 or 15 
miles from the outcrop. 

CISCO FORMATION. 



GEOLOGY. 



With the close of Canyon time the clear waters of that epoch gave 
place to shoal water and swamps, with a corresponding change in the 
character of the sedimentation — limestones becoming less conspicuous; 
70056°— wsp 317—13 2 



18 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

conglomerates, sandstones, and sandy clays increasing in importance; 
and coal being formed here and there. These beds constitute the 
Cisco formation. The limestones are usually hard and irregular in 
texture and occur in thin isolated beds, chiefly in the lower and upper 
parts of tho formation. About 200 to 250 feet above the base is a 
bed of coal called the Chaflin bed, which outcrops in the Colorado 
Valley, to the south, but is not found in the region here described. 
Near the top of the formation thin seams of coal and an abundance 
of plant impressions occur in bluish and gray sandy clays and sand- 
stones, along with a few thin beds of limestone. The main seam of 
coal, however, designated No. 7 in the Texas reports, is somewhat 
above the middle of the formation. This coal is usually from 30 to 
40 inches thick, with several partings of clay or shale. The outcrops 
of this bed of coal appear in a belt which enters Young County 8 or 9 
miles east of the southwest corner, extends northward past old Fort 
Belknap, bears eastward to the northeast corner of the county, 
thence extends eastward across the north end of Jack County, and 
makes its last appearance in the vicinity of Bowie, Montague County. 
Near Belknap it is underlain by 25 to 30 feet of shaly sandstone, 
beneath which is a bed of limestone underlain by another seam of 
coal 12 to 15 inches in thickness. This seam appears to be local, as 
it has not been found elsewhere. 

A feature of importance in the Cisco formation and one which it 
shares with the next succeeding formation is the series of clianges 
observed as the formation is traced northward along the strike. 
These changes relate both to variation in lithologic character and 
to thickness of beds. In the Colorado Valley, interstratified with 
the sandstones, clays, and conglomerates, are six or more beds of 
limestone, each from 5 to 25 feet thick and all aggregating a thick- 
ness of 100 to 150 feet. In the southern part of the Brazos Valley 
the calcareous divisions are only about half as thick as they are 
farther south, and the clays show a corresponding increase in thick- 
ness. In Young County the calcareous material diminishes north- 
ward at an increased rate until at the northern boundary of the 
county the limestones have practically disappeared, and beyond that 
point they are represented apparently by irregular nodular masses of 
earthy limestone in a matrix of clay. With the thinning out of the 
limestones the shales and sandstones increase in thickness. In 
Stephens County and farther south the shales are prevailingly blue 
and the sandstones gray. Red beds are dispersed sparingly through 
the formation. The blues gradually give place to reds until in the 
vicinity of Red River the red color dominates. In this part of the 
region the rocks consist, for tho most part, of red sandstones, clays, 
and sandy shales, with a few beds of blue shale and bluish to grayish 
white sandstones. Limestones are conspicuously absent. 



CAKBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 19 

The thickness of the Cisco formation in the southern part of the 
region is estimated to be 700 to 800 feet. As to its thickness in the 
"Red Beds" area no very definite statement can be made. The 
transitional character of the sediments offers a serious obstacle to 
the determination of dip. In the main the formations appear to 
dip slightly west-northwest. Locally the dip may reach 40 feet or 
more to the mile, but for the formation in general it is believed that 
25 to 30 feet to the mile is a fair approximation for both these beds 
and the overlying beds of the "Red Beds" area. Toward the south 
the strata have a slightly steeper dip. 1 

The area underlain by the Cisco is about 25 miles wide at the 
southern boundary of Young County, but widens somewhat to the 
northeast.. In the southern area the boundaries are clearly defined 
by the prominent ledges of limestone that mark the top of the Can- 
yon formation on the east and those at the base of the Wichita 
formation on the west. Owing to the changes that take place in 
the formation toward the north, the boundaries are not so clearly 
determinable in that part of the region. In northern Wise County 
and in Montague County the Cisco is in part covered by overlap 
of the Cretaceous. As the conditions of sedimentation were appar- 
ently much the same at the close of the Cisco epoch and the begin- 
ning of the Wichita epoch, no clear line of division can be made out 
between these formations in this area. It is to be understood, 
therefore, that north of Young County the boundary as indicated on 
the map is an approximation only. In Stephens and Young counties 
the Cisco is in general highly fossiliferous. 

At Graham Salt Creek flows at the base of an escarpment which 
gave the following section: 

Section on west bank of Salt Creek, Graham, Tex. 

Feet. 

1. Coarse conglomerate of siliceous pebbles in a matrix of sand; 

locally the rock varies to a white or ferruginous sandstone; forms 
top of prominent ridge 10 

2. Blue shale, highly fossiliferous 50 

3. Layer of hard blue fossiliferous limestone \\ 

4. Dark-blue shale, darker and carbonaceous below; a layer of sandy 

shale 3 feet thick 10 feet above the base 50 

5. Blue arenaceous shales and soft shaly sandstones 15 

6. Bluish- white sandstone, irregularly indurated; bedding irregular 

and surface uneven; more or less conglomeratic and containing 
numerous impressions of plants, also iron concretions of brown 
iron ore; in places this bed resembles the upper conglomerate 
(1); exposed 5 

i In a study of the oil and gas fields of Wichita and Clay counties, made for the Texas Bureau of Eco- 
nomio Geology since this report was written, J. A. Udden (Bull. Univ. Texas No. 246, 1912, pp. 61,62) 
records a series of detailed observations on the attitude of the strata, from which he concludes that the 
strata lie essentially horizontal in an east-west line but are affected by minor flexures constituting shallow 
find wide anticlines and synclines trending east-southeast to west-northwest. 



20 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



The shale underlying the upper bed of conglomerate is filled with 
excellently preserved fossils which strew the surface of the weathered 
slopes. The following is a list of the forms collected, a number of 
which are new. They were identified by George H. Girty: 



Cyathaxonia n. sp. 

Cyathaxonia n. sp. var. 

Litliostrotion ? sp. 

Syringopora ? sp. 

Polypora 2 sp. 

Fenestella sp. 

Synocladia biserialis. 

Fistulipora sp. 

Rhombopora lepidodendroides. 

Crania sp, 

Lingulidiscina sp. 

Derbya sp. 

Chonetes n. sp. aff. geinitzianus. 

Productus semireticulatus. 

Productus nebraskensis. 

Marginifera lasallensis. 

Marginifera wabashensis. 

Spirifer cameratus, 

Amboccelia planoconvcxa. 

Hustedia mormoni, 

Pugnax osagensis. 

Pugnax n. sp. 



Nucula ventricosa. 
Leda bellistriata. 
Conocardiurti sp. 
Deltopecten sp. 
Solcnomya sp. 
Edmondia gibbosa. 
Astartella vera. 
Patellostium montfortianura. 
Bellerophon percarinatus. 
Euphemus nodicarinatus. 
Trepospira sphaerulata. 
Pleurotomaria conoformis? 
Pleurotomaria subconstricta? 
Pleurotomaria 2 sp. 
Meekospira sp. 
Meekospira ? sp. 
Sphaerodoma sp. 
Euomphalus catilloides. 
Orthoceras rushense. 
Chonetes sp. 
Crinoidal fragments. 



Cummins x made a section in the same locality, which is practically 
identical with the section given above, though arranged in reverse 
order. The follow T ing is a list of the fossils reported by him 2 from 
bed No. 2: 



Allorisma subcuneata. 
Bellerophon percarinatus. 
Bellerophon carbonarius. 
Euomphalus rugosus. 
Lophophyllum prolifenim. 
Pinna peracuta. 
Pleurotomaria sphaerulata. 
Pleurotomaria tabulata. 
Productus cora. 
Productus costatus. 
Productus longispinus. 
Productus nebrascensis. 
Schizodus wheeleri. 



Spirifer cameratus. 
Spirifer lineatus. 
Spiriferina kentuckyensis. 
Zaphrentis spinulifera. 
Hemipronites crassus. 
Nucula ventricosa. 
Rhynchonella uta? 
Myalina subquadrata. 
Chaetetes milleporaceus. 
Orthoceras rushensis. 
Conocardium obliquum. 
Aviculopecten occidentalis. 



Beds of red clay make their appearance south of Young County, 
but they increase notably to the north, especially in the upper part 
of the formation along with the diminution of the limestones, and 
they constitute the dominant feature of the formation in eastern 
Clay and western Montague counties. 



i Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, p. 378. 



» Idem, p. 362. 



CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 21 

WATER RESOURCES. 

Most of the sandstones of the Cisco formation are water bearing 
in varying degree, but there appear to be few persistent water- 
bearing strata. An exception is a sand in the lower part of the 
formation, which is the source of supply for a large number of wells 
in eastern Stephens and Young counties and western Jack County. 
The flowing wells at Wayland, in Stephens County, and those west 
and northwest of Jacksboro probably draw their supplies from this 
sand. In some wells of this area water is found in a limestone asso- 
ciated with the sand. 

The water from surface wells in the lower beds of the Cisco is in 
general good, though in some wells it is strongly mineralized. The 
water from the higher beds is usually too strongly mineralized for 
general use, but there are some exceptions to the rule. The contrast 
in the character of the water from wells in this part of the formation 
is shown by the analyses of water of wells at Graham, given on page 
77. On the west the Cisco formation is overlain by the Wichita 
formation, and the basal water-bearing beds can be reached only 
at considerable depths. In the vicinity of Albany, in Shackelford 
County, the depth to these beds is estimated to be 1,300 to 1,400 feet. 
Moreover, with increasing distance under cover, the water of these 
beds is probably too highly mineralized for use. 

PERMIAN SERIES. 
CLASSIFICATION. 

Although much has been written concerning the beds between the 
Cisco formation and the Triassic beds which underlie the "Staked 
Plains, " much detailed stratigraphic work remains to be done in this 
region before authoritative statements can be made about the classi- 
fication of these beds. On the evidence of fossil remains found 
chiefly in the lower beds in Baylor and Archer counties, these strata 
are now assigned by most geologists to the Permian. These rocks 
as they exist in the Wichita region were subdivided by Cummins * into 
the Wichita, Clear Fork, and Double Mountain formations. The 
lowest formation, the Wichita, consisting mainly of red clays and 
sandstones, is seemingly a near-shore or delta deposit, and in it are 
found the remains of reptiles and plants of Permian age. Interstrati- 
fied with the clays and sandstones in the upper part of the formation 
are beds of limestone containing marine invertebrates, of which a large 
proportion are Pennsylvanian types and few, if any, are considered 
characteristic of the Permian of Europe. South of Baylor County the 
Clear Fork formation rests conformably upon marine strata, consist- 
ing mainly of blue clays and shales, including considerable thicknesses 



i C ummins , W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas GeoL Survey, 1890, pp. 400-424. 



22 UNDEKGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

of limestone containing marine invertebrates. Neither reptilian nor 
plant remains have been reported from these beds. The Pennsyl- 
vanian aspect of the fauna led to the assignment of these beds, 
under the name "Albany/' to the Pennsylvania n in the earlier 
reports, although they were recognized by some as being possibly of 
Permian age. 1 

Subsequently Cummins 2 asserted the equivalency of the Wichita 
ami the "Albany" formations and recommended the abandonment of 
the name "Albany." Adams 3 corroborated Cummins's conclusion 
as to the equivalency of the beds included in the Wichita and 
"Albany" formations, but recommended the abandonment of all the 
names, Wichita, Clear Fork, and Double Mountain, as "having no 
stratigraphic significance. " In a paper by the writer and others 4 
Cummins's conclusion as to the identity of the "Albany" with the 
Wichita and likewise the Permian age of the formation is confirmed. 
It is shown also that the definition of the Wichita as a formation is 
sufficiently established to warrant the retention of the name, and that 
usage is followed in this report. It is to be noted, however, that some 
limestones in Baylor County which Cummins regarded as belonging 
to the Clear Fork are the equivalents of the upper beds of the 
"Albany" aDd are here included in the Wichita. The upper Per- 
mian beds included under the names Clear Fork and Double Moun- 
tain in the Texas reports have had very little study and no attempt 
has been made to determine a definite fine of division between the 
two formations. In this report these beds are classed as undifferen- 
tiated Clear Fork and Double Mountain. 

WICHITA FORMATION. 
GEOLOGY. 

Character. — The Wichita formation underlies practically the whole 
of Wichita, Baylor, Throckmorton, and Shackelford counties, a 
considerable part of Clay and Archer counties, and a small part of 
Young County. In Shackelford County it consists of blue clays and 
shales with thick beds of limestones which, on account of their 
greater resistance to erosion, crop out in a series of eastward-facing 
rock scarps. The limestones, which constitute about a third of the for- 
mation, are blue, gray, and yellowish and for the most part massively 
bedded. They are generally hard, semiciystalline to compact, but 
some beds are friable and chalky and others are rough and earthy 
in texture. Thick beds and thin and shaly beds alternate. The 

1 Drake, N. F., Fourth Ann. Rept. Texa" Geol. Survey, 1893, p. 371. Tarr, R. 8., Bull. Texas Geol. 
Survey No. 3, 1892, pp. 14-18. 

* Cummins, W. F., Trans. Texas Acad. Scl., vol. 2, 1897, pp. 93-98. 

•Adams, G. L, Bull. Geol. Soo. America, vol. 14, 1903, p. 198, 

« Gordon, C H.. Glrty, G. H., and White, David, The Wichita formation of northern Texas* Jour. 
Geology, vol. 19, 1911, pp. 110-134. 



Carboniferous system. 23 

remainder of the formation consists of blue, gray, and black shales. 
The limestones contain an abundance of marine fossils, but well- 
preserved specimens are difficult to obtain. 

Farther north there is a marked diminution in the proportion of 
calcareous sediments with a cor esponding increase in argillaceous 
and arenaceous materials. Some of the clay beds in Shackelford 
County are sandy, but toward the north the sandy sediments become 
more and more prominent, many of the layers taking on a red color. 
Red, white, and yellowish sandstone beds also make their appearance 
and constitute a marked feature of the formation in Archer and 
eastern Baylor counties. The red sediments increase in amount 
northward until in northern Throckmorton County and beyond the 
red color dominates in the formation. 

Throughout the northern area the clays are red or red mottled 
with bluish-white and drab colors. The red clays contain an abun- 
dance of nodular concretions of irregular shape, ranging from those 
the size of a pea to masses 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Many are 
elongated or subspherical, and some are flattened and stand verti- 
cally in the clay, suggesting their origin from the rilling of fissures. 
They consist of clay, iron, and lime, and some of them are either 
hollow or have their interiors filled with calcareous clay. Here and 
there is a bed that consists of rounded lumps of .hardened clay 
cemented together by ferruginous matter, which Cummins called a 
" peculiar conglomerate." It is suggested that this deposit may have 
had its origin in the breaking up of a thin bed of clay soon after 
deposition, by the action of running water or waves. 1 

Fossils. — Traces of plants appear locally in the sandstones, and in 
one place the large frond of a fern was obtained. David White, of 
the United States Geological Survey, has collected a considerable 
amount of plant material from these beds at two localities, one in 
Cassil Hollow, 2 J miles south of Fulda station, on the Wichita Valley 
Railway, and the other at the breaks of the Little Wichita, 4 miles 
southeast of that place. These collections include the following forms 
as provisionally identified. The species listed in italics are charac- 
teristic of the Permian. 



Cassil Hollow: 

Pecopteris arborescens. 
Pecopteris hemitelioidea. 
Pecopteris densifolia. 
Pecopteris grandifolia. 
Pecopteris mertensioides. 
Gigantopteris sp. (cf. nicotianifoliaV 
Neuropteris (cf. lindahli). 
Aphlebia sp. 
Tsenxopteris multinervia , 



Cassil Hollow — Continued. 
Annularia splicata. 
Sphenophyllum? sp. 
Sigillariostrobus hastatua, 
Walchia schneideri? 
Gomphostrobus bijidus. 
Cardiocarpon n. sp. 
Carpolithes sp. 
Pelecypods, 
Estheria and flsb scales. 



i Merrill, O, P., Hooka, rook weathering, and soils, pp. 33, 34. Gardner, J. H., Jour. Geology, vol. Id, 
1908, pp. 452-458. 



24 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



Breaks of Little Wichita: 

opteris hemitelioidos. 
Pecopterie grandifolia. 
Pecopteria candolleana. 
Pecopteris tenuinervis. 
Diplothmema? sp. 
Odontopteris JlscJierif 
Cdontopteris neuropteroides. 
Xeuropteris cordata. 
Tx-niopteris coriaa.it 
Txniopteris abnormis 
T;?niopteri3 n. sp. 
Sphenophyllum obovatum. 



Breaks of Little Wichita — Continued. 
Sigillaria sp. (leaf). 
Gomphostrobus? sp. 
Cordaites principalis. 
Poacordaites cf. tenuifoliu*. 
Walchia piniformxs. 
Aspidiopsis sp. 
Araucarites n. sp. 
Cardiocarpon n. sp. 
Insect wings. 
Lstheria. 
Anthracosia. 
Ostracoda and fish scales. 



At Cassil Hollow the plants occur in a bed of blue and yellow 
laminated clay and sandy shales which crops out on the west side of 
a small tributary flowing into the north branch of Little Wichita 
River from the south. The following section was obtained at this 
place: 

Section of WicJiita formation at Cassil Hollow, t\ miUs south of Fulia, Tex. 

Feet 

1. Sandstones, thin bedded, shaly. with a fine exhibition of ripple 

marks. Represents the top of the section and grades into Xo. 2 . 6 

2. Blue and yellow laminated clay and sandy shale, grading hori- 

to white shaly sandstones same as Xo. 1. The plants 
and in a thin shale stratum near the middle of this divi- 
sion 6 J 

3. Hard liuisli limestone which weathers to a brown. Apparently 

the equivalent of a limestone which outcrops on the Wichita 
nearly due north from this locality at the Bar X ranch. Contains 
an abundance of fragments of vertebrate remains, but all in such 
a comminuted condition as to be indeterminable 2 

4. Blue clay shales 3 

5. Red clay shales: same as Xo. 4. except in color 4 

6. Gray sandy shales and sandstones to bottom of ravine 15 



36* 



The limestone (Xo. 3) is made up of several layers, some of which 
are composed largely of fragment al remains of vertebrates, includ- 
ing plates, spines, fish teeth, etc. The stratification of the argil- 
laceous and arenaceous sediments is very irregular, the sandstones 
and shales grading into each other both verticallv and horizontally. 
Moreover, there is a monotonous likeness in both the sandstones and 
the shales throughout the area, which in the absence of persistent, 
clearly recognizable strata renders the correlation of beds, except 
within very narrow limits, practically impossible. 

Some of the most prominent limestone divisions of the southern 
area persist, although in diminished thickness, as far north as Red 
River, perhaps farther. The limestones so well developed on Clear 
Creek, in the southwestern part of Throckmorton County, extend 



CAEBONTFEROUS SYSTEM. 25 

northward through Seymour, are crossed by Wichita River about 3 
miles east of the Seymour- Vernon road, and are last seen on Beaver 
Creek, in the eastern part of Wilbarger County. The transition of 
limestone into sandstone is well marked in an exposure in the bluffs 
of the Salt Fork of Brazos River, about a mile west of Spring Creek 
post office, in the northwest corner of Young County. A bed of 
limestone 3 feet thick and an overling bed of blue shales 5 feet 
thick, both filled with fossils (chiefly Myalina permiana), are replaced 
within a distance of 200 yards by a light-colored cross-bedded cal- 
careous sandstone having a maximum thickness of 15 feet. The 
transition is rather abrupt in appearance, but the sandstone contains 
much lime and also some fossils. Farther along the limestone reap- 
pears as before. 

The limestones of the Wichita formation are for the most part 
highly fossiliferous, though in many of the beds good specimens are 
hard to obtain. A list of the invertebrate fossils obtained from these 
beds has been published elsewhere. 1 Collections of vertebrate remains 
have been made at various times in Archer and Baylor counties. 
A list of localities where the earlier collections were made is given by 
Cummins. 2 In many places the remains are found at the surface, 
having weathered out of the clays or lime beds. Certain strata, 
called the "bone beds," have furnished most of the material. A 
chalky friable limestone exposed in a railway cut just west of Ma- 
belle station, in Baylor County, is filled with fragments of vertebrate 
remains allied to Eryops, mostly indeterminable. In a recent paper 
Williston 3 announces the discovery of a new genus and new species 
of amphibian allied to Eryops, which he names Trematops milleri. 
This specimen is said to have been found on Craddock's ranch, near 
Seymour. The figure of the skull given by Williston shows a close 
correspondence to one found by the writer in the friable limestone 
at the railway cut near Mabelle, which was unfortunately broken 
and in part lost before opportunity was given for identification. It 
seems probable that both came from nearly the same horizon. 

Copper. — In places the bluish clays are copper bearing, but efforts 
to mine the deposits have not proved successful. The ore occurs in the 
form of small nodules in the clays and also as a replacement of pieces 
of wood. It is the copper oxide chiefly. 

Oil. — Mention has been made of indications of the presence of oil 
in the Wichita formation in different localities. In 1907 the only 
producing field in the area was atPetrolia, in Clay County, where there 
were several producing wells. Later the Henrietta fiel^, in the same 
county, was brought in. (See p. 47.) In a well put down for water 

1 Jour. Geology, vol. 19, 1911, pp. 131-134. 
• Cummins, W. F., Jour. Geology, vol. 16, 1908, pp. 737-745. 
Williston, S. W., Jour. Geology, vol. 17, 1909, pp. 636-658. 



26 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

at Electra a number of years ago by Mr. Waggoner oil was struck at 
about GOO feet. The well was extended to 1,790 feet. The water, 
most of which was found below 800 feet, rose within 15 feet of the 
top. The oil which covered the surface of the water was dipped out 
and used locally by the cattlemen, and also to burn, but no further 
attempt had been made to determine the existence of oil in commer- 
cial quantity. Most of the wells in this neighborhood show oil in 
small quantities. On January 17, 1911, the Producers Oil Co. 
brought in the second producing well on its Xo. 5 Waggoner tract, 
about 2 miles north of the town of Electra. This well yielded 50 
barrels a day at a depth of 1,S25 feet. From this time drilling was 
extremely active, particularly by the Producers Oil Co., the Clay 
County Oil Co., the Magnolia Co., and others. The oil is found in 
sands from 10 to 30 feet thick, lying at 580, 965, 1,035, and about 
1,900 feet in depth. The wells yield from 50 to 1,200 barrels by nat- 
ural flow. Xatural-gas pressures are light, compared with those in 
the Petrolia and Henrietta pools. In September, 1911, the Electra 
field was credited with a production of 6,000 barrels a day. 

A well put down in 1899 on the farm of Mr. Carmack, 1 mile north- 
west of Murray post office, in the southwestern part of Young County, 
struck gas at about 360 feet. In 1907 the escape from this well was 
sufficient to form a blaze from 1 to 2 feet high. As this well is located 
near the eastern border of the Wichita formation, it may be that the 
gas comes from the topmost beds of the Cisco formation. 

Conditions of sedimentation. — The character of the sedimentation 
and the contents of the strata in the "Red Beds" area suggest that 
the region was a tidal flat or a low, swampy area subject to overflow 
and adjoining the open area which lay toward the south and west. 
This view is maintained by Case, 1 who states that "the whole forma- 
tion seems to be very clearly the result of deposition, either in the form 
of a wide delta or in very shallow water. " He adds, further, that ' ' the 
remains which are found on or in the sand layers were evidently 
washed there by currents from a distant shore, and they are gener- 
ally more or less imperfect, having been dispersed by the action of the 
current or by predatory animals, while those found in clay were evi- 
dently animals which mired down on wide mud flats or were drifted 
out on the surface of the stagnant lagoons." 

The clays and the sandstones are separated in some places by 
unconformities which are considered by Case 2 to be the result of 
currents that eroded channels in the clay in which the sands were 
afterward deposited. They do not represent apparently any consid- 
erable time interval between the two deposits. Moreover, the con- 
glomerates containing concretions of ferruginous clay are evidently 

1 Case, E. C, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Uist., vol. 23, 1907, pp. 659-664. 2 Idem, p. 661. 



CAKBONIFEROTJS SYSTEM. 27 

additional indications of transitory currents in an ordinarily quiet 
lagoon or over the tidal flats of a wide delta. 

The red sediments evidently had their source in the degradation of 
the Wichita Mountains, which lie directly to the north of this region, in 
Oklahoma. These mountains were uplifted during or at the close of 
the Pennsylvanian epoch and are now, together with their accompany- 
ing- elevations on the east, the Arbuckle Mountains, partly buried in 
the sediments they have furnished. 1 

The fact that in this region, as shown by their outcrop toward the 
east and by the strata penetrated in deep wells, the upper beds of the 
Cisco formation consist of sediments corresponding in character to 
those of the Wichita formation, suggests that mud flats may have 
characterized the closing stages of the Pennsylvanian epoch in this 

region. 

Thickness. — In Shackelford County the thickness of the Wichita 
formation is estimated to be 1,000 to 1,200 feet. Two-thirds or more 
of the formation consists of blue clays and shales. Farther south, in 
the vicinity of Colorado River, limestones constitute the major part 
of the formation. To the north from Shackelford County the calca- 
reous sediments diminish, and before reaching the Oklahoma border 
they practically disappear. No reliable estimate can be made of the 
thickness of the formation in this part of the region, though it is 
probably not less than 1,500 feet. 

WATER RESOURCES. 

As shown in the foregoing description of the geology of the region, 
the stratigraphy of the Wichita formation in the southern or ' 'Albany " 
area presents a marked contrast to that in the northern or typical 
Wichita area. 

In the southern area there are limestones at several horizons, some 
massive and others thin bedded, alternating with blue clay and sandy 
shales and sandstones. Though the shale beds greatly exceed the 
limestones in thickness, the latter, owing to their hardness, resist 
erosion better, and hence are found capping the elevations and con- 
stituting a series of parallel benches or escarpments that may be 
traced for long distances from the northeast toward the southwest. 
About two-thirds of the formation in Shackelford County consists of 
blue and gray clay shales, interbedded with which are some red clays 
and beds of sandstone. No good water-bearing bed is known to exist 
in the Wichita formation in the southern area. Locally the lime- 
stones and sandstones contain water, but it is usually saline. When 
followed northward the beds of the Wichita formation show marked 
diminution in the proportion of calcareous sediments and a corre- 

i Case, E. C, op. cit., p. 664. Beede, J. W., Jour. Geology, vol. 17, 1909, p. 714. 



28 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

eponding increase in sandy shales and sandstones. Moreover, the 
blue and gray colors of the shales and sandstones are in large part 
replaced by reds and browns, thus giving rise to the designation "Red 
Beds." In Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties the sandstones of the 
Wichita formation are locally porous and contain water, but owing 
to their transitional character and lack of persistency no correlation 
can be established between the sandstone beds of different localities. 
There are probably no persistent water-bearing beds in this region, 
the reservoirs being for the most part local. In Baylor and Wilbarger 
counties, where the upper beds appear, there are fewer sandstones 
and more Hmestones and shales, but no water-bearing beds of any 
importance. As a whole the Wichita formation is destitute of good 
water, but salt water is found at several horizons. A hole put down 
near Geraldine in Archer County struck water at 106, 298, 346, and 
540 feet from the surface. The first water rose within 60 feet of the 
top and the others within 20 feet. All these waters were salt and 
unfit for use. 

CLEAR FORK AND DOUBLE MOUNTAIN FORMATIONS. 
GEOLOGY. 

Overlying the Wichita formation conformably are red and blue clays, 
sandy shales, and sandstones, including deposits of gypsum and a few 
beds of earthy magnesian limestone. These rocks were subdivided by 
Cummins l into the Clear Fork and Double Mountain beds, but, as 
stated by that author, "no attempt has been made to determine a 
definite line of division between the two," and in view of the char- 
acter of the sediments it is evident that the determination of such a 
line, if it can be made at all, will require much detailed work. Hill 2 
proposed the term Brazos series to embrace "all those rocks of Texas, 
Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico between the top of the conform- 
able Coleman division of the Carboniferous beds below [and] the base 
of the unconformable Cretaceous above," but the suggestion has not 
been elsewhere adopted. According to Gould 3 these beds correspond 
to those in Oklahoma which he has termed in ascending order, the 
Enid, Blaine, Woodward, Greer, and Quartermaster formations. 

In the lower beds red and blue clays predominate, but the upper 
beds are characterized by an increase in the proportion of arenaceous 
constituents and also of limestone and gypsum. The sandstones and 
hmestones are friable and, together with the clays, yield readily to 
eroding agencies and supply a large amount of detritus to the streams, 
which are heavily charged with the red sediments brought down by 
their tributaries. In the lower beds the gypsum occurs as thin layers 

i Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, pp. 401-402. 
» Hill, R. T., Twenty-first Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 7, 1901, p. 100. 
• Gould, C. N., Water-Supply Paper U. 8. Geol. Survey No. 154, 1906, p. 17. 



CEETACEOUS SYSTEM. 29 

and lenses in the clays. Beds of massive gypsum 2 to 3 feet thick 
crop out in the hills south of Quanah. At Acme, where the material 
is quarried, the deposit is from 10 to 20 feet thick. In many places 
fibrous gypsum fills cracks which cut the alluvial clays in every 
direction. 

The massive gypsum does not constitute persistent strata but thins 
out or is replaced horizontally by clays or limestones. J. J. Cyrus, 
a well driller of Quanah, states that the wells of that city derive their 
water from a porous limestone stratum at a depth of 75 feet and that 
no gypsum occurs in the overlying beds, which consist mostly of clay. 
A well put down a mile south of Quanah passed through a thick bed 
of gypsum at 40 to 65 feet and another at 75 to 83 feet, the latter 
apparently the equivalent of the limestone found in the city wells. 

Except where overlain by fluviatile deposits of Quaternary age, the 
Clear Fork and Double Mountain formations constitute the surface 
rocks west of the Wichita formation as far as the escarpment that 
marks the eastern extension of the Triassic in Texas. 

The age of these beds is generally recognized as Permian. Fossils 
are scarce and are confined chiefly to the limestones. The meager 
collections thus far made from these beds in Texas are not sufficient 
to warrant definite conclusions concerning them. 

Cummins has assigned to these beds a total thickness of 3,900 feet, 
1,900 feet to the Clear Fork and 2,000 feet to the Double Mountain. 
Only the lower beds of the formations are exposed in the Wichita 
region. Red gypsiferous shales and sands, with beds of gypsum and 
some limestones in the upper part, represent the formations as they 
appear here. 

WATER RESOURCES. 

Water is found in the shales and sandstones and to some extent in 
the limestones of the Clear Fork and Double Mountain formations. 
That which occurs in the shales and sandstones or near beds of gypsum 
is almost invariably strongly gypseous, but that in the limestone or 
closely related sandstones may be fairly good. Locally these waters 
yield supplies that are used for household purposes, but more generally 
they are available only for stock. 

The character of the formations precludes the hope of finding pota- 
ble water supplies at any general horizons. 

CRETACEOUS SYSTEM. 
COMANCHE SERIES. 

East of the region the Carboniferous is overlain unconformably by 
the Cretaceous, patches of which also appear west and southwest of 
the region. Worn specimens of undoubtedly Cretaceous shells are 
found in the gravel escarpments along Wichita River in Knox and 



30 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

Foard counties. The conclusion seems warranted, therefore, that the 
Cretaceous formerly extended over a large part if not the whole of the 
region. The only portion of the area, however, where Cretaceous 
rocks are now found in place is in the eastern part of Montague County, 
where the Trinity sand and the overlying Goodland limestone are 
recognized. The Trinity here consists of compact but easily eroded 
sand, usually called "pack sand," whose thickness ranges from a 
knife-edge at the border to 500 feet in the southeastern part of the 
county. Pebbles in varying amount are scattered through the forma- 
tion, but only in the basal zone are they abundant enough to consti- 
tute a conglomerate. The Goodland limestone, which represents the 
Comanche Peak and Edwards limestones to the south, consists of a 
white limestone of dull or chalky texture and luster intersected with 
layers and seams of semicrystalline material. The thickness of the 
Goodland is about 15 to 20 feet. 

QUATERNARY SYSTEM. 

PLEISTOCENE SERIES. 

SEYMOTJR FORMATION. 

GEOLOGY. 

Over the western part of the region, including Knox and Haskell 
counties, portions of Foard and Jones counties, and probably adjoin- 
ing areas on the west, is a deposit of fine silts, sands, and gravels 10 to 
50 feet thick except where removed by denuding agencies, to which 
the name Seymour beds was given by Cummins. 1 The sands are 
mostly red varying to white and are interstratified with lenses of 
gravel and red clay. In Knox County Brazos River and branches of 
the Wichita have removed this formation over wide areas and cut 
their valleys down into the underlying Clear Fork and Double Moun- 
tain formations. In the breaks of these streams the gravels are well 
exposed. On the south side of the valley of the South Fork of the 
Wichita, 5 miles north of Benjamin, the gravels with their accompany- 
ing sands and clays have a thickness of 25 feet. The pebbles are well- 
rounded and consist of quartz and crystalline rock, mostly of igneous 
origin. Silicified wood is common, as are also waterworn Gryphaea 
shells of Lower Cretaceous age. The character of the material sug- 
gests that it was derived from the Tertiary beds whose remnants out- 
crop in the escarpment of the Llano Estacado west of this area. 
Gould 2 has referred to the presence of waterworn Gryphaea shells of 
Lower Cretaceous age in the gravel beds at the immediate base of the 
Tertiary. 

i Cummins, W. F.. Fourth Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1893, pp. l c "-190. 
» Gould, C. N., Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 154, 1906, p. 29. 



QUATEBNAEY SYSTEM. 81 

The area known or believed to be covered by this deposit is shown 
on the accompanying map (PL I). In the region between the North 
Fork of Wichita River and Pease River the flat interstream areas are 
underlain by 6 to 8 feet of fine dark-colored silt resting upon a bed 
of gravel 2 to 3 feet thick. These beds, which evidently belong to the 
Seymour formation, overlie the red Permian clays. The western 
limits of the Seymour formation are not known. 

At several places east of the indicated boundary of the formation, 
patches of conglomerate were observed which may be related to the 
Seymour. Some of these patches cap the higher gravel terraces of the 
Brazos below Seymour. Half a mile south of Round Timber the 
river bluff, which is about 60 feet high, is capped by a bed of gravel 
and sand in which the pebbles consist chiefly of quartz and quartzite. 
This material is also spread over considerable areas in the vicinity of 
the river to the south, where it forms a thin veneer of sand and pebbles. 
In places it is consolidated into a fine conglomerate. The principal 
deposits of this character lie about 90 feet above the river. Pebbles 
of quartzite, quartz, and other siliceous rocks evidently derived from 
this bed are scattered over the surface of the lower terraces and along 
the river bed. Another locality where deposits of the same kind 
were observed is in the vicinity of Mabelle station, in Baylor County. 
The determination of the stratigraphic relations of these deposits 
and their connection, if any exists, with the Seymour formation must 
await more detailed observations with the aid of good maps. A 
valley conglomerate found on Concho River at San Angelo and else- 
where in Tom Green and Concho counties evidently corresponds to 
the formation here described. In that locality it is composed chiefly 
of fragments of chert derived from the Lower Cretaceous beds. 

Cummins, 1 who first described the Seymour formation, asserted 
its Pleistocene age and gave a list of fossils collected from beds pre- 
sumably of this horizon, though the correlation was not definitely 
made. Fossils other than the worn fragments of extraneous source 
already mentioned are not abundant. The fragments of bones of 
Pleistocene mammals occasionally found include Mastodon and 
Equus. At Knox City Mr. C. A. Benedict showed the writer the tooth 
of a mastodon which was found in a well at a depth of 40 feet, also 
a femur of the same species which was found in a ravine in the vicinity. 
Cummins 2 states that 14 miles east of Benjamin he collected frag- 
ments of the bones of Mastodon and Equus, among which was a femur 
4 feet 2 inches in length. 

Cummins considered these beds to have been formed in an inland 
lake which extended from Seymour westward to the range of gypsum 
hills bounding the formation on the west and which was drained 

i Cummins, W. F., Fourth Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1892, pp. 181-190. » Idem, p. 182. 



32 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

when Brazos River cut through the limestones at Seymour. The 
character and general relations of the sedimentation, however, 
suggests deposition by streams rather than in a lake. As shown by 
W. D. Johnson, 1 the heterogeneous distribution of clays, sands, silts, 
gravels, and conglomerates such as characterizes the Quaternary in 
the High Plains is the result of branching streams of desert habit. 
From Haskell north to the Brazos the formation has a thickness of 
40 to 50 feet and is composed of about 30 feet of reddish calcareous 
silt or clay, with some sand and gravel, resting upon about 10 feet 
of sands and gravels. In the upper 1 or 2 feet the formation contains 
a large amount of lime which has partly consolidated to form an 
impure limestone or conglomerate. Calcareous deposits of this 
character, which have a wide distribution in arid regions, are known 
as caliche. The deposit is harder and more regular in structure at 
the top than below and is usually hidden from view by a slight cover- 
ing of soil. The caliche surrounds and includes sand grains, gravels, 
and earthy materials, cementing them together, but does not usually 
become sufficiently hard to constitute a solid rock. Blake, 2 who 
has described such deposits in Arizona, states that "the formation 
is clearly the result of the upward capillary flow of calcareous water, 
induced by constant and rapid evaporation in a comparatively 
rainless region.' ' 

WATER RESOURCES. 

An abundant supply of good water is usually found in the gravel 
beds that constitute the basal part of the Seymour formation. Where 
these lower beds are exposed by erosion under favorable conditions 
springs may be found, as at Haskell. 

In the vicinity of streams which cut through the formation into 
the underlying Permian the supply is largely lost through seepage. 
In places in the upland areas also the beds are destitute of water, 
many wells extending through the gravels into the Permian beds 
called "Birdseye" by the drillers. The localization of the water 
in the gravels may be due to collection in basins in the unevenly 
eroded surface of the Permian. 

The water is in general of fair quality and in places very good. It 
usually contains some gypsum, the amount differing with the locality. 

RECENT SERIES. 
GEOLOGY. 

The stream valleys are floored throughout the greater part of their 
courses by gravels, sands, and silts which have been transported from 
higher levels to their present position by the present streams. The 

i Twenty-first Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 4, 1901, p. 655. 

» Blake, W. P., Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., voL 31, 1901, pp. 220-226.. 



QUATEBNABY SYSTEM. 33 

valleys of the larger streams, such as Wichita, Brazos, and Pease 
rivers, are usually wide and along their sides may be found remnants 
of terraces to a height of 60 feet. These terrace deposits consist of 
gravel, sand, and silt of recent origin and are not to be confounded 
with the somewhat similar Pleistocene materials composing the Sey- 
mour formation and the apparently related high-level Pleistocene 
gravels and conglomerates mentioned on page 31. The bottom lands 
of Brazos and Wichita rivers are in places from 1 to 2 miles wide 
and are covered over large areas by sands that have been exposed dur- 
ing low stages of the river and on drying have drifted into mounds 
and ridges along the adjoining flats. Outside of the ordinary flood 
plains there are in places wide belts of excellent farming land, as seen 
on the Wichita north of Holliday and on the Brazos in southeastern 
Baylor County. Being derived for the greater part from the Per- 
mian red beds, the alluvial clays are in many places reddish in color. 

In certain areas there are accumulations of sand of greater or less 
extent caused by the action of the wind. As to their mode of origin 
these sands are of two kinds — those blown from the stream channels, 
as already noted, and those derived from the disintegration of rocks 
in place and heaped up by the winds. The dunes of the first kind 
occur along the flood plains of practically all the larger streams and 
are composed of white or nearly white rather fine sand grains. For 
the most part they are barren of vegetation, but in places they are 
covered with a scanty growth of grass and bushes. 

Sand hills of disintegration occur chiefly in the northwestern 
part of the region, in Wilbarger and Hardeman counties, and appear 
to be confined mostly to the areas underlain by the Seymour for- 
mation. They are best developed in the uplands north of Pease 
River, where they constitute ridges 6 to 8 miles long and 3 to 5 miles 
wide. Corresponding ridges of less extent occur along the south 
side of Pease River. Gould 1 states that the material of these upland 
sand hills has been derived largely from the disintegration of the 
underlying rocks. As the Tertiary and Pleistocene deposits are 
especially susceptible to the action of weathering agencies, sand hills 
of this character are most common in the regions to the west and 
north, where rocks of these ages are best developed. As the clay 
and silt present in the formations are removed by the action of water, 
the sand and the gravel remain behind and the finer materials are 
then rearranged by the action of the wind. As to the deposits of 
Pease River, however, the view has been advanced 2 that they were 
formed before the rivers had reached their present levels, and were 
blown out from the adjacent mud flats of the wide river or estuary, 

i Gould, C N., Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 154, 1906, p. 30. 

» Lapham, J. E., and others, Soil survey of the Vernon area, Texas: Field Operations Bur. Soils for 1902, 
U. S. Dept. Agr., pp. 369,372,373. 

70056°— wsp 317—13 3 



34 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

and have been left behind by the recession of the streams. There can be 
little doubt that the sands were derived through the disintegration 
of the underlying rocks. It is not necessary to infer, however, the 
presence of a former large river or body of water from whose shores 
the sands were drifted inland. The disintegration of the rocks under 
the effects of weathering, the removal of the clay and silt through 
rain wash, and subsequent heaping of the sand by the winds would 
seem to offer an adequate explanation of the phenomena. 

On Red River at Red Bluff, northeast of Vernon, there is said to 
be a deposit of volcanic ash, 1 the sole indication of igneous action 
so far as known within the area. It occurs near the top of the bluff 
and is overlain by fine sandy loam winch is evidently of eolian 
origin and has apparently been modified more or less by the volcanic 
ash. The writer had no opportunity to examine this deposit, the 
source of which is wholly conjectural. 

WATER RESOURCES. 

In the vicinity of the main streams the alluvial sands and gravels 
usually contain ample supplies of good water. In the valleys of 
Wichita and Brazos rivers an abundance of good water is generally 
obtained at depths of 18 to 25 feet. Wells on the higher filled 
terraces have to go deeper, being from 40 to 60 feet deep, according 
to location. 

In general the water in the valley deposits is of good quality, but 
locally, especially in the Permian area, it may be affected by the 
intrusion of waters from the adjoining beds. 

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The present investigations have shown the occurrence of abundant 
supplies of underground water in this region, but almost invariably 
the water was found to be highly charged with mineral matter. 
This is especially true of most of the supplies obtained in beds belong- 
ing to the Carboniferous period. Exceptions are found in wells 
located near the outcrop of certain sandstone beds occurring near 
the contact of the Canyon and Cisco formations. Throughout a 
considerable area in the western part of the region good water is 
found in sands and gravels of Pleistocene age (Seymour formation) 
and is reached by wells from 20 to 50 feet in depth. Some of these 
beds furnish springs, as at Haskell. To these sources are to be 
added the shallow wells in the valleys, which derive their supplies 
from the alluvial deposits of Recent age. 

Over a large part of this region the surface waters constitute the 
chief source of supply, both for domestic use and for stock. Away 
from the main valleys the rainfall is stored in surface tanks for use 

i Lapham, J. E., op. cit., p. 369. 



MONTAGUE COUNTY. 35 

during the dry part of the year. Owing to the generally friable 
character of the rocks, the surface waters are charged with fine 
reddish silt which settles very slowly. The large amount of this red 
silt in the surface waters makes it desirable that the water be cleared 
in a settling tank before being used. Wichita Falls derives its supply 
from an artificial lake 7 miles long outside of the city. This water 
is decidedly red in color before it is filtered. An analysis of this 
water is given on page 54. 

In view of the importance of surface waters as a source of domestic 
supply in this area, especial care should be exercised for the preser- 
vation of these supplies against pollution by animals or other means. 
"It is now universally recognized that the degree of prevalence of 
typhoid fever in a given community is a reliable measure of the 
extent to which sewage is an ingredient of its drinking water. The 
prevalence of typhoid in cities is a true index of the quality of the 
water supplies." 1 

Shallow wells and springs are especially susceptible to contamina- 
tion from vaults, cesspools, broken sewers, slops thrown on the 
ground, pigpens, stables, and other sources of filth, which readily 
passes into the ground. For the elimination of such contamination 
the location and care of a surface tank are important considerations. 
The tank should be placed at a considerable distance from any 
known source of contamination, in an open, clear drainage basin, 
preferably grass covered, from which stock and other agencies of 
pollution are rigorously excluded. Moreover, it should be frequently 
and carefully inspected to guard against the accidental access of 
contaminating substances. 

Although the fine red silt so abundant in the waters of this region 
is not especially harmful to health, its presence in domestic supplies 
is objectionable and means should be employed for its removal. 
This may be accomplished in cities by the use of settling tanks in 
which the water is clarified before it enters the city mains. In 
smaller places recourse may be had to filters. 

DESCRIPTION BY COUNTIES. 

MONTAGUE COUNTY. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Montague County lies along the State boundary line. It has an 
area of 976 square miles and its population according to the census 
of 1910 was 25,123. The mean annual rainfall is 35 inches. 

There are two drainage systems in the county separated by a divide 
which extends from the southwest corner northeastward past 
Bowie to St. Jo. The area on the north and west of this line is drained 

i Ann. Rept. Connecticut State Board of Health, 1896, p. 21. 



36 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

by several small northward-flowing tributaries of Red River, and 
that on the south and east by Clear Creek, Denton Fork, and other 
tributaries of Trinity River. Most of the streams which head in the 
sands near the divide carry perennial though small supplies of water. 
Those tributaries of Red River which he wholly within the area of 
the Carboniferous rocks are for the most part wet-weather streams. 
In this area the relief is modern to and belongs to an advanced stage 
of dissection of a preexisting plain, the interstream areas being 
reduced to irregular hills and knobs of the more resistant sandstones. 
The altitude of the general plain surface is about 875 to 900 feet 
above sea level. Along the boundary of the Cretaceous the surface 
rises rather abruptly from 50 to 200 feet, with here and there irregular 
knobs and hills composed of the more resistant conglomeratic phases of 
the Cretaceous sands. Several elevations of this character, known 
as Cougar, Grindstone, Norton, and Rattlesnake mountains, exist 
near and to the southwest of Bowie. Queens Peak is a rather promi- 
nent elevation about 4 miles north of Bowie, and to the northeast of 
it are the Belknap Hills. Southeast of this range of hills is a belt 
of rolling sands, which toward the northeast is much dissected by the 
streams flowing northward into Red River. The southeastern 
boundary of this sandy area is marked by an escarpment, and sand- 
stone knobs are noticeable features of the landscape. One of the 
most prominent elevations is Gordon Mountain, a narrow limestone- 
capped ridge 4 or 5 .miles long just north of St. Jo. 

GEOLOGY. 

The geology of the county is simple. Underlying the whole area 
are rocks of Carboniferous age. and resting unconformably upon these 
in the southeastern part of the county are sands and limestones 
belonging to the Cretaceous. The Carboniferous rocks tie nearly 
horizontal or dip toward the west; the Cretaceous rocks dip south- 
eastward. The boundary of the Cretaceous crosses the south line of 
the county about 6 miles east of the southwest corner and passes 
northward through Bowie and thence northeastward to the northeast 
corner of the county. The boundary as thus delineated is irregular 
and serrate, as a result of the erosion of the formations which once 
undoubtedly covered the whole of the county. 

The Carboniferous rocks which constitute the surface formation 
over the northwest half of the county belong to the upper part of 
the Cisco formation and consist of variegated red, brown, and blue 
sandy shales and shaly sandstones that grade horizontally and verti- 
cally into cross-bedded yellowish and white sandstones. The sand- 
stones are locally conglomeratic and, owing to their greater resist- 
ance to erosion, in places cap elevations or project in ledges above 
the general surface. Coal which CuittBUns regards as his coal seam 



MONTAGUE COUNTY. 37 

No. 7 crops out about 4 miles southwest of Bowie, and attempts 
were at one time made to mine it at this locality. A tunnel 400 
feet long was driven into the side of the hill, and 1J miles farther 
north shafts were put down to coal, which was reached at a depth 
of 150 feet. In all the shafts water was encountered in the sand- 
stone above the coal. The following section was made by Cummins * 
at the mouth of the tunnel: 

Section at mouth of tunnel near Bowie, Tex. 

Ft. In. 

Sandstone 6 

Clay 20 

Sandstone 15 

Slate 3 

Coal 2 

Slate 6 

Coal 1 4 

Fire clay 10 

48 2 

The dip of the coal, according to Cummins, is to the northwest. 
The coal shaft of the Max Edser mine, now abandoned, is reported 
by the owner, C. H. Boedeker, of Bowie, to be 160 feet deep and the 
coal to be 48 inches thick, including a slate seam of about 4 inches. 
A hole drilled 200 feet deeper failed to show other beds of coal. The 
records of this drill hole were not obtainable. Six miles northwest of 
Bowie, on the north side of the track of the Fort Worth & Denver City 
Railway, is an abandoned coal shaft which is now filled with water within 
30 feet of the top. This shaft is reported to be 412 feet deep, but no 
reliable data concerning it could be obtained. The dump shows a 
considerable amount of black carbonaceous shales as the last mate- 
rial taken out. The only other occurrence of coal in the county of 
which information is at hand is in a well 4 miles north of Bowie and 
1 mile east of the Peak schoolhouse. The well starts in sandstone 
of the Cisco formation and is said to have reached coal at 62 feet. 
The seam is 6 inches thick. When the coal was reached, water was 
encountered which probably came from the overlying sandstone. 
It rose within 25 feet of the top of the well. On the assumption that 
the coal in these several localities belongs to the same seam, which 
is probable, it is estimated that the northwest dip of the beds is about 
70 feet to the mile. 

The southeast half of the county is underlain by sands and con- 
glomerates belonging to the lower division (Trinity sand) of the 
Cretaceous. Overlying these sands and capping ihe higher eleva- 
tions in the eastern part of the county is a limestone which in Okla- 
homa is known as the Goodland limestone. It represents the forma- 

i Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Kept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, p. 508. 



38 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

tions to the south called the Comanche Peak and Edwards lime- 
stones. The Trinity formation in Montague County consists of 
compact but easily eroded sand, usually called "pack sand/' whose 
thickness ranges from a knife-edge at the borders to 500 feet in the 
southeastern part of the county. Pebbles in varying amount are 
scattered through the formation, but only in the basal zone are they 
abundant enough to constitute a conglomerate. In this zone the 
pebbly \)^d< are locally of considerable thickness and are in some 
places loosely consolidated and in others indurated to form a hard, 
resistant rock. The Belknap Hills, Queens Peak, Brushy Mound, 
and other elevations along the border of the Cretaceous area owe 
their relief to the resistance to erosion offered by these beds. As 
shown by Hill l the Goodland limestone is exposed along the western 
border scarp of the Grand Prairie and in the numerous inlying areas 
of the valleys of the many tributaries of the Trinity and the streams 
which score its surface. It is a white limestone of dull or chalky 
texture and luster, intersected with layers and seams of semicrys- 
talline material. The thickness of the limestone is about 15 to 20 
feet. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 
WELLS. 

CARBONIFEROUS AREA. 

Most of the water supply of the county is derived from shallow 
wells. In the Carboniferous area water is found in the sandstones 
at depths varying from 30 to 250 feet, and throughout a large part of 
the county water may be reached at 20 to 50 feet. The water in 
these shallow wells is usually hard and often impregnated with 
objectionable salts. The supply is rather scanty, and it is necessary 
in some areas to go deeper for satisfactory quantities. Other hori- 
zons are reached at depths ranging from 50 to 200 feet, but owing 
to the varying character of the formations no correlation can be 
made between the wells at different horizons. 

At Nocona water is found in the northeastern and southwestern 
parts of the town at 20 to 40 feet in depth. The wells in a belt 
extending through the town from northwest to southeast are 
reported to be from 100 to 250 feet deep. The most common depth 
is 100 to 130 feet. In the shallow wells the water stands about 18 
feet below the surface and in the deep wells, according to the prin- 
cipal of the public schools, it stands at about 80 feet. A well put 
down by G. A. Stafford for Carmichael Bros, yields when pumped 
7,000 gallons a day. It is cased with 6-inch pipe for 217 feet and 
with 4-inch pipe for the remaining 42 feet. The water varies in 

i Hill, R. T., Twenty-first Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 7, 1901, p. 217. 



MONTAGUE COUNTY. 39 

quality, being good in some wells and poor in others. In general, 
the water from the deeper wells is soft and that from the shallow 
wells is hard. 

About 2 1 miles north of McCallums, on the farm of John Morris, 
a well 134 feet deep was put down in 1892. For a time the water 
was fairly good, but later it became so highly charged with mineral 
salts that it could not be used. Another well 84 yards to the north- 
east struck water at 137 feet. The record of this well, given by Mr. 
Morris, is as follows: 

Record of well on farm of John Morris, near McCallums, Tex. 

Feet. 

1. Surface sand and clay 28 

2. Soft sandstone 36 

3. Black clay 8 

4. Mixed clay, sand, and lime, in part concretionary 15 

5. Pack sand 40 

6. Dark-red clay, almost black 6 

7. Hard rock 4 

8. Sand with gravel and water. 

Nos. 1 to 5 represent the basal portion of the Trinity sand; Nos. b* 
to 8 belong to the Cisco formation of the Carboniferous. The water 
in this well is fairly good. 

At Belcherville the public well is 165^ feet deep; the water, which 
is of fairly good quality, rose rapidly, when the bits were drawn, 
within 90 feet from the surface. The water of other shallow wells in 
the vicinity is said to differ considerably in quality, but no analyses 
have been made. In 1895 a well put down by John Witherspoon 
was extended to a depth of 961 feet. William M. Cassel, the foreman 
in charge of the work, makes the following statement concerning it: 

The principal water-bearing stratum was reached at 600 feet. Several other water- 
bearing strata were passed through above this, but they were cased off. The water 
from the 600-foot level rose within 100 feet of the surface. Deposits of coal, "granite," 
sulphur, and salt were passed through, but nothing definite is now known concerning 
them. Analysis was made of the water, but this has been lost. It is known, how- 
ever, that the water was highly charged with salt and sulphur. 

At Ringgold water is obtained at depths of 20 to 200 feet. The 
water in this vicinity is predominantly brackish. Cisterns constitute 
the main source of supply, the statement being made by residents 
that there is "no good water outside of cisterns." 



^ 



In the vicinity of Stoneburg water is found in shallow wells at 
depths of 25 to 40 feet. In these wells the water rises within 10 to 20 
feet from the surface. At depths varying from 72 to 160 feet water 
is struck which supplies flowing wells in favorably situated localities. 
A. S. Jamieson's well, located 200 yards south of the Chicago, Rock 
Island & Gulf Railway Station, is 160 feet deep. The water flows 



40 U-NDEKOBOUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

out in a small stream and is said to be fairly good for general use, but 
bard on boilers. The elevation of the top of the well is about 930 
feet above sea leval. The drill is reported to have passed through 
5 to 6 feet of soil, about 8 feet of white sand containing plenty of soft 
water, and blue shale and sandy clay with alternating beds of sand- 
stone down to about 145£ feet. Water was found in a clay or quick- 
sand formation underlying a ''honeycomb" rock, probably a sand- 
stone. The fine material pumps up and chokes the well. 

About 200 yards south of the Jamieson well is one put down by the 
Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway Co., the following record of 
which was furnished by Mr. Paul Friesen, acting chief engineer: 

Record of Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway Co.'s well at Stoneburg, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Surface material 

Quicksand with water 

Clay 

Blue sandrock and slate 

Sandrock 

Red clay 

Clay and slate 

Sandrock and some water 

Red clay 

Hard sandrock 

Quicksand with water, which flows out at top. 
Hard honevcomb rock 



Feet. 

2 
11 
11 
34 
12 
10 
26 
12 
11 
13 

3 



Feet. 

2 

13 

24 

58 

70 

80 

106 

118 

129 

142 

145 

145$ 



The water was struck at 143 feet. The well flows at the rate of 
1,000 gallons a day and affords about 17,000 gallons a day when 
pumped. The rocks penetrated in this well belong wholly to the 
Cisco formation. At this place the elevation of the water beds is 
approximately 890 feet above sea level. 

About 1£ miles south of the Stoneburg station a flowing well was 
obtained by James Anderson at a depth of 98 £ feet. The exact 
elevation of the top of tins well is not known, but an estimate based 
on the contour map of the region indicates that the water is reached 
here at a level 40 feet higher than at the station. 

Three-fourths of a mile farther south W. T. Small has a flowing well 
72 \ feet deep. The top of the well is possibly 10 feet lower than that of 
the railway well. It is estimated that water is reached in this well 
at about 835 feet above sea level, or 63 feet higher than at Stoneburg. 
It seems probable that all these wells terminate in the same stratum, 
which has a northward inclination of about 32 feet to the mile. As 
the real dip of the strata is to the northwest, the data here given 
harmonize with others showing the dip to be about 70 feet to the 
mile (p. 37). The character of the water from the Small well is 
shown by the following analysis, by Walton Van Winkle, of the 
United States Geological Survey: 



' MONTAGUE COUNTY. 41 

Analysis of water from well of W. T. Small, near Stoneburg, Tex. 

[Parts per million.] 

Silica (Si0 2 ) 4.8 

Iron (Fe) 08 

Calcium (Ca) 32 

Magnesium (Mg) 8. 2 

Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) 121 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 365 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 49 

Chlorine (CI) - 61 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 1. 06 

Total solids 457 

This analysis shows that the water comes within the limit of ordi- 
nary river water in the proportion of calcium and magnesium, but 
is higher in chlorine and bicarbonates. It is used for household pur- 
poses and for stock and would apparently do well in boilers. 

Water from the well of C. M. Chase, near the Small well, May, 1907, 
gave the following results according to the same analyst : 

Analysis of water from well of C. M. Chase, near Stoneburg, Tex. 

[Parts per million.] 

Silica (Si0 2 ) 7.2 

Iron (Fe) 3 

Calcium (Ca) 6. 4 

Magnesium (Mg) 10 

Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) 174 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 381 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 25 

Chlorine (CI) 36 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 97 

Total solids 458 

This water, although slightly higher in alkalies and lower in chlorine, 
corresponds fairly with that from the Small well. The flow is small 
but constant. 

About 3 J miles east of Stoneburg, on the farm of C. H. Bacon, 
are two wells 113 and 96 feet deep. Both are flowing wells and when 
cased up the water stands 2 feet above the level of the ground. These 
wells are located near the border of the Cretaceous at the northwest 
base of the Belknap Hills. Their flow is small but regular. A 
bucketful taken from the basin will cause the flow to cease for a 
few seconds. 

Bowie is situated near the southwest corner of the county, just 
within the border of the Cretaceous area. The thickness of the 
Trinity sand here, as shown by well records, is about 40 feet. The 
increase in thickness toward the east is rapid and in that part of the 



42 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



countv. so far as known, no wells extend through the Trinity sand. 
There are several deep wells in the town which extend through the 
Trinity into the underlying Cisco formation. The Bowie ice plant 
and the Bowie Oil Co. each have wells about 500 feet deep. The old 
well of the city waterworks derived its supply from a depth of 540 
feet, but this proving insufficient, a new well was finished in 1907 at 
a depth of 640 feet and gives, according to Mayor C. H.Boedeker, 
"an inexhaustible supply of good water." 
Its record is as follows: 



Record of nev: well of cky waterworks, Bowie, Tex. 
[Elevation at top of well, 1. 145 feet above sea level.] 



Trinity sand (Cretace 

1.' Soft sandy soil with some gravel an . 

2. Hard yellow clay 

Cisco (Carboniferous): 

3. Hard sandstone 

4. Hard soapstone rock 

5. Slate; traces of coal 

C. Hard soapstone or fire clay 

7. Conglomerate (concrete rock I 

8. Shale 

9. Hard concrete, similar to No. 7 

10. Gritty shale, "hard pan" 

11. Hard' concrete rock, difficult to drill 

12. Red shale 

13. Sandstone 

14. Red shale 

15. Hard shale, "hardpan" 

16. Sandstone 

17. Sand with water 

IS. Sandstone 

19. Soapstone. shale, and slate 

20. Sand with water 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Ftet. 


Feet. 




30 


10 


40 


38 


78 


lb 


90 


4 


160 


B 


108 


132 


240 


11 


251 


54 


305 


75 


380 


55 


435 


13 


44s 


32 


480 


IS 


4ys 


12 


510 


y 


519 


y 


528 


4 


532 


oy 


001 


19 


020 



The water in bed Xo. 20 stands 180 feet below the top when 
pumped. This water was analyzed by Walton Van Winkle in March, 
1907, with the following results: 

Analyses of water from new city well. Bourne, Tex. 

[Parts per million.] 

Silica (Si<) 2 ) 5. 4 

Iron (Fe ) .3 

Calcium (Ca) 21 

Magnesium i Mg ) 9.5 

Sodium | Na) and potassium iK 772 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO s ) 382 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 129 

Chlorine (CI) 972 

Nitrate radicle (NO,) 1. 86 

Total solids 2, 119 

This is a soft water high in chlorine and alkalies. 



MONTAGUE COUNTY. 43 



CRETACEOUS AREA. 



In the Cretaceous area water may be obtained as a rule at depths 
of 20 to 150 feet. Most of the wells are from 30 to 80 feet deep. 
The differences in the depths of the wells are due in part to the char- 
acter of the relief as related to the position of the water table, and in 
part to the changes in the character of the beds themselves, the sands 
in places containing more clay or being finer grained and more com- 
pact. For the most part water for domestic purposes is obtained 
from shallow wells. There are no deep wells within the area except 
near the border, as at Bowie (p. 42). At that place the deep wells 
find water in the underlying Cisco formation. The water in the 
Trinity sand is generally mineralized to a greater or less extent, and 
hence it is in many places necessary to rely upon cisterns both for 
domestic use and for stock. Owing to the compactness of the sands, 
the movement of the ground water in them is slow and generally the 
supply from these beds is small. E. B. Sizemore put down a well at 
Newharp, near the southeast corner of the county, and says that it 
is 129 feet deep, is nonflowing, and furnishes about 10,000 gallons a 
day. The water is used for running a large gin. The drill passed 
through the following beds, according to Mr. Sizemore: 

Record of well of E. B. Sizemore at Newharp, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



1. Soil 

2. Packsand or sandrock 

3. Blue clay and struck water. 

4. Packsand; water at 80 feet.. 

5. Red bottom clay 

6. Unrecorded 

7. Stone coal 

8. Sandstone 



Ft. in. 
4 
40 



Ft. in. 
2 
44 



41 

2 
27 

2 
26 10 



85 

87 

112 

112 

129 



The beds to and including No. 4 are Trinity and those below No. 4 
are evidently Cisco. Water is reported from the Trinity at 44 and 
80 feet. No mention is made of water in the Cisco formation. 

Four miles southeast of Nocona is a well 235 feet deep. The 
record of this well is not available, but it was learned that the drill 
passed through sandstone, red sandy shale with some hard rock, and, 
near the bottom, soft sand with water which rose within 60 feet of 
the top. This well is situated on a hill near the border of the Trinity 
sand. The water is soft and evidently comes from the underlying 
Cisco. The elevation at the top of the well is 1,050 feet above sea 
level. About a quarter of a mile northeast of this well is an old well, 
73 feet deep, in which the water is hard. The top of the old well is 
about 20 feet lower than that of the other well, and the water in it 
is evidently in the basal part of the Trinity. 



44 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



Montague, the county seat, is located on the Trinity sand, in which 
water is found at depths of 60 to 80 feet. The water contains a 
considerable but varying amount of mineral matter, wells near to- 
gether showing marked differences. The courthouse well is 60 feet 
deep, as is also the parsonage well, located 600 feet farther south. 
The "old well" on the square, which is 80 feet deep, contains some- 
what better water than either of the other two. About 500 feet 
west of the courthouse well is the " wagon house" well, which is about 
40 feet deep. All these wells derive their supply from the Trinity. 
Analyses of the waters are given below. 

Analyses of water from wells at Montague, Tex. 
[Parts per million. W. M. Barr, analyst. Samples collected December, 1906.] 



Silica (SiOj) 

Iron(Fe) 

Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) 

Carbonates (CO3) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) 

Sulphate radicle (SO<) 

Chloririe(CI) 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 

Total solids 



Court- 


Parson- 
age well. 


Wagon 


house 
well. 


house 
well. 


19 


26 


21 


Tr. 


3.6 


.05 


327 


96 


270 


74 


27 


29 


284 


26 


88 


.0 


.0 


.0 


442 


334 


249 


262 


54 


104 


653 


43 


186 


102 


Tr. 


334 


2,075 


446 


1,272 



Owing to the large proportion of iron the water from the par- 
sonage well has a disagreeable taste and is not used. The porous 
character of the sandy formation underlying the town is decidedly 
favorable to the contamination of the ground waters by sewage. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs in Montague County are few and are for the most part 
small and unimportant. Most of them are in the Trinity sand area 
and along its border. Near Gladys and Forestburg are small springs 
and one near Forestburg is reported as yielding a " never-failing " 
supply of warm water. The springs supplying cold water usually 
run dry in summer. The water of these springs is hard. A few soft- 
water springs occur in the Cisco area, notably near Stoneburg and 
Ringgold. Their flow is small. 

CLAY COUNTY. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Clay County has an area of 1,250 square miles, and its population 
in 1910 was 17,043. The mean annual rainfall is 32 inches. The 
county is drained chiefly by Little Wichita River, which flows north- 



CLAY COUNTY. 45 

eastward through the middle of the county into Red River. The 
Wichita flows through the northwestern part of the county. 

The surface is for the most part a timberless, moderately dis- 
sected plain. The soils consist of fine sand or sandy clays derived 
from the underlying sandstones and shales. 

GEOLOGY. 

The rocks outcropping in this county consist of white, brown, and 
red sandstones and red sandy shales, the colors in places varying to 
blue. Except in a small area of the Cisco formation in the southeast- 
ern part of the county the indurated rocks belong to the Wichita 
formation. Owing to their apparently conformable relations, their 
lithologic correspondence, and the lack of good exposures the bound- 
ary between the formations is nowhere clearly defined and can there- 
fore be indicated only approximately. 

The Cisco consists of sandstones and shales, mostly red, the sand- 
stones appearing here and there over the plain surface in outcropping 
benches and low escarpments. Just over the line in Jack County, 
near Postoak, the upper part of the formation consists of 25 to 30 
feet of conglomerate overlying red shales grading into sandy beds. 
The conglomerate is composed of partly worn subangular fragments 
of siliceous limestone and chert in a matrix of sand. In places it 
grades into brown ferruginous sandstone. In general the fragments 
are of the size of peas or navy beans, but locally they are larger or 
smaller. This conglomerate is apparently identical with that seen 
at Graham, in Young County, and it is believed to represent about 
the same horizon. No exposures of this bed were seen in Clay 
County, but the indications are that it is present in the southeast 
corner of the county and across the boundary in Montague County. 

In the area underlain by the Wichita formation the exposures are 
mostly low ledges of sandstone scattered over the plain capping low 
elevations and stream slopes. The main part of these ledges is com-, 
posed of red and variegated shales with intercalated lenses of sand- 
stones. The thickness of the Wichita in Clay County is not known. 

A short distance west of Henrietta copper is said to occur in the 
red sandstones and shales, chiefly in the shales. The ore, which con- 
sists of small nodules disseminated through the shales, according to 
reports, assays about 60 per cent of copper. 

At Petrolia oil is found at depths of 278, 358, 438, 650, and 750 to 
800 feet. The principal supply is derived from beds at the 278-foot 
and 438-foot horizons. The deepest bed supplies one well only. The 
first 10 wells in this district were put down by J. L. Jackson, of 
Jackson & Moore, of Wichita Falls, from whom the following record 
was obtained: 



46 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



Record of oil wells in the Petrolia oil field. 
[Elevation of top of wells, 1,025 feet above sea level.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



1. Red shale, with a few feet of soil on top 

2. Sand, with showing of oil 

3. Red shale 

4. Sand, with trace of oil 

5. Red shale 

6. Blue shale 

7. Oil sand 

8. Red shale 

9. Blue shale 

10. Sand, with some oil 

11. Red shale 

12. Blue shale 

13. Sand, with oil 



Feet. 
100 

5 
75 

8 
75 
15 
15 
40 
10 
15 
72 

8 
10 



Feet. 
100 
105 
180 
188 
263 
278 
293 
333 
343 
358 
430 
438 
448 



The first oil produced in the field came from the sand (Xo. 7) at 
278 feet. When first put down, in 1903, the wells produced from 5 
to 55 barrels a day; in 1907 the wells had declined to about 3 barrels 
a day. Later wells were extended to the sand at 448 feet, from 
which in 1907 the chief production was obtained. The oil from the 
lower sand is said to have a higher specific gravity than that from the 
upper sand. 

Well No. 1 of the Corsicana Petroleum Co., of Corsicana, Tex., is 
located on the farm of Byers Bros. It is the deepest hole that had 
been put down in the field at the time when this investigation was made 
(1907). No oil or gas was found. The well is located about 3 miles 
northeast of Petrolia. It is cased with 6-inch pipe down to a depth 
of 367 feet and with 4-inch pipe to 1,002 feet. No notice was taken 
of water horizons. The following record was made by M. W. Bahan: 

Record of well No. 1 of Corsicana Petroleum Co., near Petrolia, Tex. 
[Elevation of top of well, about 1,025 feet above sea level.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



1. Sand, sandstone, and clay 

2. White sand, with small show of oil 

3. Sandrock and clay 

4. Sandrock and red shale 

5. Sandrock and shale, with some sand (indications of gas) 

6. Hard red rock 

7. Hard sandrock 

8. Hard red rock 

9. Soft shale 

10. Red shale 



Feet. 

243 

6 

118 

629 

9 

49 

5 

33 

51 

157 



Feet. 

243 

249 

367 

996 

1,005 

1,054 

1,059 

1,092 

1,143 

1,300 



Neither of the records obtained gives any satisfactory evidence as 
to the location of the plane of separation between the Wichita and 
the Cisco formations. From Mr. James Darling it was learned that 
in some of the wells a conglomerate bed 12 feet thick was found at a 
depth of 490 feet. Lf this is upper Cisco, then the Wichita is probably 



CLAY COUNTY. 47 

penetrated at a depth of 263 feet. The major part of the develop- 
ment of the field is in an area less than 3 miles in diameter, the center 
of which is about If miles southeast of Petrolia. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

In the valley of Red River, at the north end of the county, plentiful 
supplies of potable water are found at a depth of 25 feet. Along the 
bluffs bordering the valley there are numerous small springs, but no 
deep wells are reported from this or any other part of the county, 
except as already mentioned. 

In the upland areas water is found in the sandstones at depths 
varying from 30 to 130 feet. Shallow wells and cisterns furnish 
water for domestic use. Water for stock is obtained from artificial 
pools and to some extent from wells. 

At Henrietta the wells are from 25 to 40 feet deep. A few miles 
out of town it is necessary to sink to a depth of 72 to 100 feet. The 
town supply is obtained from two wells located in a draw about 
three-fourths of a mile south of town. The supply is insufficient to 
meet the demand during portions of the year when the gins are in 
operation, and it is then supplemented by pumping from a surface 
tank near by. At the time of the writer's visit the surface of this 
tank was covered by slime and the water appeared to be unfit to 
drink. No record is kept as to the amount of tank water that is 
mixed with that of the wells in the mains. If a sufficient quantity 
of water can not be obtained by sinking other wells, steps should be 
taken to construct a tank in a location where it will be free from the 
danger of contamination. In some wells the water is brackish or 
alkaline; in others it is fairly good. 

In the vicinity of Bellevue two water horizons are reported, the 
first at 30 to 35 feet and the second at 100 to 110 feet. The water in 
the shallow wells is soft and that in the deeper wells is hard. There 
is no public supply of water for the town of Bellevue, but a supply 
may be obtained from a lake in the vicinity covering 40 acres, which 
is fed by underground springs and is said to be practically inexhaustible. 

Since 1907, when this field was examined, there has been a marked 
development in oil operations, especially in the vicinity of Electra, in 
Wichita County. The region including Clay and Wichita counties 
is said to be now producing 10,000 barrels of oil a day. 1 The principal 
oil area is in Wichita County and the principal gas area is in Clay 
County. According to the report cited, which is based on investiga- 
tions made by J. A. Udden, the oil and gas have accumulated in 
lentils of sand that were originally bars and beaches in the Cisco and 
Wichita seas. "The Henrietta-Petrolia gas and oil field is an irregular 
elongated dome about 200 feet high, having an area of 6 or 7 square 

1 Press letter, Bur. Econ. Geology, Uuiv. Texas, W. B. Phillips, director, Mar. 15, 1912. 



48 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



miles. It is about twice as long as broad, and the longer axis extends 
in a west-northwest and east-southeast direction." The author quoted 
considers that the oil and gas bearing sands of this field occur in the 
upper part of the Cisco formation or the lower part of the Wichita 
formation, and that they are contemporary in deposition with the 
coal beds occurring at this horizon farther south. This places the plane 
of separation between the Cisco and Wichita formations here at 700 
to 900 feet from the surface, a position which accords with the 
writer's view. 

Two logs of borings kindly furnished by Mr. Udden are given below. 
In each of these borings six water-bearing sands were noted. In the 
Byers well No. 3 a fresh-water sand was found at 137-172 feet which 
was not encountered in the Myers farm well No. 1, and the latter 
well shows a water sand at 955-975 feet which did not appear in the 
former. The correlation of the other water beds seems to be fairly 
well established, but it should be remembered that in formations of 
such irregularity in lithologic character the determinations are pro- 
visional only. There is probably little doubt that all the waters 
except that at 137 to 172 feet in the Byers well were saline. 

Log of Myers farm well No. 1, near Henrietta, Tex. 

Elevation of Henrietta, 915 feet above sea level (Weather Bureau). Began drilling 
May 27, 1909. Finished drilling December 31, 1909. Set 176 feet of 12^-inch casing, 
589 feet of 10-inch casing, 1,310 feet of 8-inch casing, 1,924 feet of 6-inch casing. 
All pipe pulled when well was abandoned. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Bed mud 

Gray water sand (B).. 

Red cave 

G ray slate 

Red cave 

White water sand (C) . 

Red cave 

Broken sand 

Gray salt sand 

Red cave 

White slate 

Red and white, mixed 
Salt-water sand (D). . . 

Red cave 

White slate 

Red and blue mud 

White slate 

Red cave 

White slate 

White salt sand 

Broke.i gray sand 

Hard brown sand, oil. 

Loose white sand 

Broken gray sand 

Red cave 

White slate and shell.. 

Red cave 

Gray shells 

Red cave 

White sand 

Water sand (E) 

Slate 

Dark-gray shells. . .„.. 
XJghtfJate r ... 



Feet. 
280 
20 
15 
10 
75 
25 
10 
15 
10 
10 
15 
25 
21 
19 
20 
10 
15 
5 
5 

25 
10 
10 
45 
10 
10 
5 

20 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 



Feet. 
280 
300 
415 
425 
500 
525 
535 
550 
565 
575 
590 
615 
636 
655 
675 
685 
700 
705 
710 
735 
745 
755 
800 
810 
820 
825 
845 
855 
865 
875 
885 
890 
900 
910 



CLAY COUNTY. 

Log of Myers farm well No. 1, near Henrietta, Tex. — Continued. 



49 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Red bed 

White sand 

Red rock 

Gray water sand (X) ? 

Blue slate 

Red rock 

Blue slate 

White salt sand 

Red marl; streaks of blue shale. 

Light-gray sand 

Red marl 

Dry gray sand 

Red marl 

White salt sand 

Broken sand 

Soft white sand 

Broken sand 

Blue slate 

Dry white sand 

Dark-blue slate 

Sand; streaks of shale 

Red marl 

Gray sand 

Red marl 

Brown shells 

Red marl 

Brown sand (F)? 

Blue slate 

Red marl; streaks of white sand 

Brown slate 

White slate 

White salt sand 

Blue shale 

White salt sand 

Blue shale 

White shale 

White salt sand , 

Black gumbo 

Gray sand 

Blue shale , 

Sand; streaks of blue shale 

White salt sand 

Blue shale 

Gray sand 

Blue slate; streaks of black slate 

Blue slate 

Gray salt sand 



Feet. 
15 
15 
15 
20 

5 
25 

5 
10 
10 
10 
15 

5 

25 
15 
15 
10 
15 
10 

5 
25 
20 
25 

5 

40 
10 
50 
20 
30 
90 
25 
11 
22 
20 
15 
37 
15 
12 
10 

7 
46 
20 
10 
20 
10 
80 
243 

7 



Feet. 
925 
940 
955 
975 
980 
,005 
,010 
,020 
,030 
,040 
,055 
,060 
,085 
,100 
,115 
,125 
,140 
,150 
,155 
,180 
,200 
,225 
,230 
,270 
,280 
,330 
,350 
,380 
,470 
,495 
,606 
,628 
,648 
,663 
,700 
,715 
,727 
,737 
,744 
,790 
,810 
,820 
,840 
,850 
,930 
,173 
,180 



Log of Byers well No. 3, Petrolia field, Tex. 

Elevation of Petrolia, 967 feet above sea level at station. Began drilling October 
20, 1908. Finished well April 14, 1909. Set 127 feet of 12-inch casing, 697 feet of 10- 
inch casing, 1,466 feet of 8-inch casing, 1,789 feet of 6-inch casing, and 1,959 feet of 
4^-inch casing. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 




Feet. 
75 

2 

20 
40 
35 
35 
20 
15 
20 
40 

8 
175 

8 

4 


Feet. 
75 


Sand shell 


77 


Blue mud 


97 


Red cave 


137 


Big fresh-water sand (A) 


172 


Red and blue mix 


207 




227 




242 




262 


Red mud 


302 


Water sand ( B ) 


310 




485 


Sand 


493 


Shale 


497 



50 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

Log o/Byen well No. S, Pctrolia field, Tex. — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Sand; salt water (C) 

Blue gunrbo and gravel 

Ked gumbo and gravel 

Blue shale 

Very dark red shale 

Blue shale 

Dark-red shale 

White shale 

Water sand (D) 

Water shale 

Red and blue mix 

Blue shale 

Verv red shale 

Broken sand 

Red shale 

Black slate. 

Red and blue mix 

Red shale 

Blue shale 

Water sand (E) 

Shale hard 

Sand 

Blue shale 

"Duke's Mixture" 

Sky-blue shale 

Brown gritty shale 

Rotten sand 

Blue shale, sand shells 

Dark-red shale 

Water sand (F) 

Blue shale 

Sand 

Dark-blue shale 

Sand 

Blue shale 

Dark sand 

Dark-blue shale 

Very hard dark-blue shale 

Blue shale 

Hard black sand 

Dark-red shale 

Dark sand 

Dark-blue shale 

Blue lime 

Sky-blue shale 

Gas sand 

Black shale* 

Fine dark sand 

Dark-blue shale 

Hard shell lime 

Shale 

Soft sand (fine oil) 

Brown shale 

Black shale 

Light-blue shale 

Oil sand 

Black slate 

Sand 

Blue shale 

Big salt sand, " Gulf of Mexico" 
Abandoned. 



Feet. 

50 

I 

40 

10 

45 

5 

28 

12 

38 

3 

50 

91 

50 

5 

15 

64 

45 

25 

17 

35 

20 

15 

38 

10 

10 

10 

25 

60 

15 

30 

8 

6 

4 

2 

24 

15 

36 

1 

43 

2 



4 
85 

1 
30 
17 
27 

1 
16 
11 

2 

4 
37 
27 
62 

5 

10 
536 



Feet. 
547 
555 
590 
600 
645 
650 
678 
690 
728 
.31 
781 
871 
921 
926 
941 
,006 
.051 
,076 
,093 
,128 
,148 
,163 
.201 
.211 
.221 
.231 
.256 
,316 
,331 
,361 
.369 
.375 
.379 
.381 
,405 
.420 
.456 
.457 
,500 
,502 
,510 
.518 
.525 
,529 
,614 
,615 
,645 
,662 
,789 
,790 
,806 
,817 
,819 
,823 
.860 
.887 
,959 
.964 
,974 
.510 



WICHITA COUNTY. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Wichita County has an area of 606 square miles, and its population 
according to the census of 1910 was 16,094. The mean annual rain- 
fall is 25 inches. 

The surface is an eastward-sloping plain incised on the south by 
Wichita River and its tributaries and on the north by a few insignifi- 



WICHITA COUNTY. 51 

cant tributaries of Red River. The general surface rises toward the 
west or northwest at the rate of about 7 feet to the mile. The main 
valley of Wichita River is a wide alluvial plain about 60 feet below 
the general surface. The river flows in a narrow channel sunk 25 
feet below the valley bottom. According to the railway profiles the 
station at Wichita Falls, the lowest point in the valley, has an eleva- 
tion of 946 feet above sea level. The stations at Iowa Park and 
Electra are on the plateau level and have elevations, respectively, of 
1,037 and 1,229 feet. 

GEOLOGY. 

The rocks exposed at the surface in Wichita County belong wholly 
to the Wichita or lowermost formation of the Permian series. Ex- 
posures within the county are not abundant and are confined chiefly 
to the gullies and ravines along the sides of the Wichita Valley. As 
noted elsewhere the rocks consist of red and variegated shales and 
sandstones. The shales are generally sandy and in places contain an 
abundance of ferruginous concretions. The sandstones are of vary- 
ing hardness. In places the strata are 5 to 10 feet thick and grade 
horizontally and vertically into the associated shales. Owing to the 
nonpersistent character of the sandstones it is difficult to correlate 
rocks of different localities. With the disappearance of a sandstone 
in its horizontal extension, new beds of exactly similar constitution 
appear at higher or lower levels, and these in turn give way to others. 
About 3 miles west of Wichita Falls the following section was obtained 
in the breaks of the Wichita: 

Section near Wichita Falls, Tex. 

Feet. 

1. Red clay filled with ferruginous concretions 10 

2. Red and variegated sandstones, cross-bedded, and for the most 

part in thin layers 8 

3. Red nodular clays to bottom of ravine 20 

This bed of sandstone (No. 2) can be traced three-fourths of a mile 
to the west and then disappears below the bottom of the valley. The 
transitional character of the sandstones is well shown in a mound 
about 4 miles northwest of Holliday. The top of the mound, which 
covers about an acre, consists of soft gray sandstone resting upon red 
concretionary clays. On the north side the sandstone is about 10 
feet thick and 25 feet of clay lies below it. On the south nearly the 
whole side of the hill is composed of sandstone in place, only about 5 
feet of the clay being exposed. 

Limestones representing higher horizons make their appearance in 
the bluffs of the Wichita about 5 miles north of Dundee station, 
on the west side of Horseshoe Lake, where the section following is 
exposed: 



52 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

Section in bluff on west side of Horseshoe Lake, Wichita County, Tex. 

Feet. 

1. Limestone, hard, dark blue, brown on exposure, cavernous 4 

2. Blue clay 4 

3. Red concretionary clays 25 

4. Soft red shaly sandstone 15 

5. Red concretionary clay 4 

6. Red shaly sandstone 9 

7. White and red variegated sandstone, more massive than Nos. 

4 and 6 6 

8. Nodular clay ("conglomerate") 1 

9. Red concretionary clay 15 

10. Nodular clay or "conglomerate " J 

11. Red concretionary clay 25 

108* 

Scattered over the upland surface in the vicinity of Electra are 
fragments of limestone that were weathered out of the clays, but no 
limestones were seen in place in the northern part of the county. 
About three-fourths of a mile southwest of Electra some thin nodular 
limestones are exposed, interbedded with blue nodular clays, cal- 
careous shales, and sandstones. 

Recent deposits are represented in the main valleys by consider- 
able thicknesses of alluvial sands and gravels. In the valley of the 
Wichita these deposits are from 20 to 30 feet thick. Their thickness 
in the valley of Red River is not known. Traces of the presence of 
similar but older deposits appear in the upland areas in the form of 
rounded pebbles of quartz and other crystalline rocks scattered over 
the surface. In places small patches of these gravels have been 
consolidated into a conglomerate a few feet thick. They are pos- 
sibly of Tertiary or early Pleistocene age. 

A prospect well for oil was put down at Electra some years ago by 
W. T. Waggoner, but no authorized record of this well can be ob- 
tained. The hole is located near the railroad station, which has an 
elevation of 1,229 feet above sea level. The driller was B. P. Gates. 
Information concerning this well was supplied by Mr. Estes, who 
assisted in the sinking of the well. He states that the drilling was 
extended to a depth of 1,790 feet, passing through the following strata: 

Record of the Waggoner oil well, Electra, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



1. Surficial material 

2. Red concretionary clay 

3. Red joint clay 

4. Red variegated clays and shales, sandy shales alternating with blue 

5. Sand with some oil; water struck at bottom of sand rose within 15 feet of the surface. 

6. Shale, alternating with other rock; blue shale at 1,200 feet 



Feet. 

8-10 

50 

45 

645 

50 

990 



Feet. 
10 

60 

105 

750 

800 

1,790 



WICHITA COUNTY. 53 

Water was first reached in quantity at 800 feet. Above this there 
was only a slow seepage. The water at the 800-foot horizon is salty 
and mingled with a small amount of oil, which stands at the surface 
and is dipped out for use locally by cattlemen. 

Since 1907 borings in the vicinity of Electra have revealed the 
presence of extensive deposits of oil in that region. As stated else- 
where (p. 47), the principal oil area is in the western part of Wichita 
County, in the vicinity of Electra. The region as a whole now pro- 
duces about 10,000 barrels of oil a day, the larger part of which is 
derived from the Electra field. There are several oil-bearing sands, 
of which the one most explored lies 900 to 1,000 feet below the sur- 
face, in the lower part of the Wichita formation. Below this are 
others with which have been correlated some that occur in the Hen- 
rietta-Petrolia field. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 
WELLS. 

In the alluvial flats along Wichita and Red rivers plentiful water 
supplies are found at depths of 20 to 25 feet. 

In the valley of the Wichita supplies are obtained generally from 
wells varying from 18 to 25 feet in depth. At the Tom Jones ranch, 
northwest of Holliday station, an abundant supply of very good 
water is obtained from a well 22 feet deep. The section is as follows: 

Section of well on Tom Jones ranch, near Holliday, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and sandy clay 

Gravel 

Sandy clay 

Sand with a plentiful supply of good water. 



Feet. 
8 
4 
6 
4 



Feet. 

8 

12 

18 

22 



In the upland areas few good wells are found. The water in these 
wells is derived from the red shales and sandstones of the Wichita 
formation and is usually too highly mineralized for use. Some of the 
shallow wells yield supplies for stock, but few of them are available 
for domestic use. The depth of these wells is from 16 to 50 feet, the 
principal supplies being obtained at about 45 feet. The water from 
these shallow upland wells is rich in salt and gypsum, as is shown in 
analysis No. 2 of the subjoined table. The water from the deeper 
horizons shows a much greater content of mineral matter, as indicated 
by analysis No. 3. This water is absolutely unfit for domestic or 
industrial use or for irrigation. 

The character of the water from the wells at Wichita Falls is shown 
in the following analyses: 



54 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

Analyses of well waters from Wichita Falls, Tex. 
(Parts per million.] 



Silica (SiOj) 9. 6 

Iron ( Fe) Tr. 

Aluminum ( Al) 

Calcium (Ca) 28 

Magnesium ( Mg) 42 

Sodium (Na) ) „. 9 

Potassium ( K) j 

Carbonate radicle (CO s ) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCo 3 ) 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 

Chlorine (CI) 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 

Suspended matter 

Total dissolved solids 

Turbidity 



19 
395 
292 
102 

Tr. 

2.8 
927 

5 



12 



OS 



187 

80 

739 



289 

294 

1,380 

33 



2,953 



U5 



4 

1,397 

411 

fl6,611 

I 43 

93' 
512 

29, 077 



U2 



48, 720 



117 

0.4 
34 
18 
15 

14 



00 
20 
22 

120" 
310 
165 



.88 



Sample collected Oct. 1, 
Depth, 



1. Elevator well in alluvial deposits. Depth, 20 feet. W. M. Barr, analyst. 
1906. 

2. Edson A. Chamberlin's well, Bluff Street. In red shales and sandstone of Wichita formation. 
40 feet. Walton Van Winkle, analyst. Sample collected in 1906. 

3. Well owned by F. D. Keona (?). Depth, 220 feet. J. B. Bailey, analyst. Sample collected June 8, 
1911. 

4. City water from artificial lake. W. M. Barr, analyst. Sample collected Oct. 1, 1906. 



According to R. B. Dole, of the United States Geological Survey, 
the water of the Keona w ell. will yield on evaporation a residue con- 
taining 86 to 88 per cent of sodium chloride (common salt), the chief 
impurities of w^hich would be calcium chloride and calcium sulphate. 
He considers it worth investigating as a possible local source of salt. 
The percentage composition of the anhydrous residue computed from 
the analysis is as follows : 

Percentage composition of anhydrous residue from water of Keona well, Wichita Falls, Tex. 

Chlorine (CI) 60. 5 

Sodium (Na) 34. 5 



Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) . . 
Potassium (K) 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ). 



2.9 
.8 

1.1 
.1 
.1 



100.0 



In the upland areas cisterns and tanks constitute the chief source 
of water supply for domestic use and for stock. The water thus stored 
holds in suspension a large amount of red sediment derived from the 
adjacent soils. This matter settles very slowly, and the rivers and 
ponds are rarely clear. The city of Wichita Falls is supplied from a 
reservoir 7 miles long. The character of the water, as shown by 
a sample taken from the pipes before filtering, is indicated by analysis 
No. 4. The water is red-brown in color and is not clear after filter- 
ing. The high content of silica, aluminum, and iron is due to the fer- 
ruginous clay held in suspension. 



ARCHER COUNTY. 55 

SPRINGS. 

There are a few springs in the county along the sides of the valleys 
of the main streams or their tributaries. Most of them are the result 
of the deepening by erosion of the valley to the level of the water table 
in the alluvial deposits. One of these springs is located about 4 
miles northwest of Electra, in the valley of a small tributary of Red 
River. The water issues from the west bank of the stream for a dis- 
tance of 100 yards. The main spring is about 25 yards back from the 
stream. It yields a considerable flow of slightly brackish water. 

ARCHER COUNTY 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Archer County has an area of 960 square miles. The population 
according to the census of 1910 was 6,525; the county seat is Archer 
City. The county lies at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,200 feet. The mean 
amiual rainfall is 30 inches. 

The northern and southern portions of the county consist of ex- 
tended rolling plains. The middle portion of the county is dissected 
by Little Wichita River, which flows from west to east directly across 
the county. 

GEOLOGY. 

With the possible exception of a small area in the extreme south- 
east corner of the county the rocks appearing at the surface belong 
to the Wichita formation of the Permian series. They consist for the 
most part of the red shales and sandstones characteristic of the for- 
mation in this part of the State. Near the western boundary thin 
beds of limestone appear at wide intervals, alternating with blue and 
red clays and sandstones. These strata constitute the lower portion 
of a series of limestones which belong to the upper part of the forma- 
tion. The bones of vertebrates and the remains of plants that have 
been collected at different places in the middle and western parts of 
the county have contributed to the determination of the Permian age 
of the Wichita formation. 

Deposits of copper have been found in the county, and at one time 
development was attempted, but the results were not satisfactory. 
The ore occurs in the form of nuggets and masses (some due to replace- 
ment of wood) distributed in beds of blue clay which are themselves 
highly impregnated with copper. 1 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

There are very few wells in this county. Water supplies are drawn 
chiefly from cisterns and artificial ponds or " tanks. " D. M. Segler 
a well driller, states that he has drilled many wells in this region and 

i Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1890, pp. 449-455. Schmitz, E. J., Copper 
ores in Permian of Texas: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 26, 1896, pp. 97-108. 



56 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



has found but one good well in the northern part of Archer County. 
The water from shallow wells is in general strongly mineralized, but 
some wells yield water that can be used. These wells are from 16 to 
30 feet deep. At depths between 60 and 600 feet from the surface 
are found four or five beds which contain an abundance of water, 
but it is invariably salty and unfit for use. The water from these 
beds rises on being struck by the drill, but usually fails to reach the 
surface. 

In 1906 three wells were put down in the vicinity of Geraldine by 
the Geraldine Coal & Oil Co. in the search for oil, of which only traces 
were found. The record of one of these wells was furnished by the 
driller, Mr. F. D. Kerns: 

Record of well No. S at Geraldine, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Surface soil, followed by red joint clay 

Gray sandstone, water in lower part 

Red clay 

Brown clay 

Red clay 

Brown clay 

Gray clay and fine sand 

Red clay 

Yellow clay 

Gray sandstone with salt water which came within 20 feet of the top of the well 

Red clay 

Blue soapstone 

Red shale with water at top 

Quicksand with a thin seam of coal; water in the quicksand 

Soapstone 

Red shale; showing of oil and gas 

Soft blue sandstone, water at top; water salty and flows out at top 

Fine white sand 

Red shale 



Feet. 

90 

16 

2 

20 

15 

55 

30 

24 

28 

18 

22 

18 

8 

4 

2 

178 

10 

30 

2 



Feet. 
90 
106 
108 
128 
143 
198 
228 
252 
280 
298 
320 
338 
346 
350 
352 
530 
540 
570 
572 



At Archer City several attempts were made to find potable water 
in the deeper beds. The courthouse well is said to be 480 feet deep, 
and salty water was found in it at 125 and 180 feet. The following 
is the record of a well put down at Archer City, according to F. E. 

Roesler: 1 

Record of well at Archer City, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Red clay 

Sandrock 

Red clay and hardpan 

Black soil 

Light-red clays 

Cap rock 

Red clay 

White rock 

Sandrock 

Soft white rock 

Red clay 

Sandrock 

Soapstone 

Gravel with water 

Sandrock (water) 

* 8. Ex. Doc. No. 222, 51st Cong., 1st sess., 1890, p. 262. 



Feet. 

25 

10 

500 

5 

30 

i 
100 

10* 

14 
7 
5 
6 

11 
1 

12 



FeeU 
25 
35 
535 
540 
570 
570* 
670* 
681 
695 
702 
707 
713 
724 
725 
737 



WILBARGER COUNTY. 57 

The water found in the gravel and sandrock at the bottom rose 
but did not flow out at the top. Elsewhere in the same report 1 
mention is made of salt water occurring at 500 feet. 

No wells have been put down in the vicinity of Holliday, water 
being obtained from ponds and cisterns. 

At Dundee also cisterns and ponds constitute the source of supply 
both for domestic use and for stock. There are no wells in the town 
and very few in the surrounding country. Small supplies are found 
at depths of 18 to 24 feet. 

At Windthorst wells range in depth from 16 to 170 feet. The most 
common depth is 40 feet, but the largest supplies are found at a 
depth of 65 feet. In the shallow wells the water is mostly soft, and 
in the deeper wells it is alkaline. In this vicinity wells and cisterns 
are relied on for water for domestic use and ponds for stock. 

At Geraldine water is found in shallow wells at depths of 20 to 40 
feet, but cisterns and ponds are the most satisfactory source for all 
uses. In the borings made for oil (p. 56) water was found at 90-106, 
280-298, 338, and 530 feet. The water from the lowest bed flowed 
6^ feet above the surface and would probably rise higher. In all 
the borings the water was strongly salty. 

WILBARGER COUNTY. 

PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Wilbarger County includes the area between Baylor County and 
Red River and is bounded on the east by Wichita County and on 
the west by Hardeman and Foard counties. It has an area of 932 
square miles and a population of about 12,000 (census of 1910); the 
county seat is Vernon. The mean annual rainfall is 28 inches. 

The relief of the county is that of an eastward-sloping plain, or 
high rolling prairie, intersected by the wide, flat valleys of Pease 
River and Beaver Creek and their tributaries. The northern half 
of the county is drained chiefly by Pease River, which flows north- 
eastward across the county into Red River. Beaver Creek drains 
the southern part of the county; it has a general eastward course 
and empties into Wichita River in Wichita County. From Electra, 
in Wichita County, to Harrold, in Wilbarger County, the Fort 
Worth & Denver City Railway runs along the crest of the divide 
between Beaver Creek and Red River. The elevation at Harrold 
is 1,235 feet above sea level. Vernon is situated on the south side 
of the Pease River valley, and the elevation at the St. Louis & 
San Francisco Railroad station is 1,205 feet. A prominent physio- 
graphic feature of the northern part of the county is a high sand 
ridge which runs northeastward about 6 miles north of Pease 
River. This ridge is several miles wide and rises about 100 feet 

»S. Ex. Doc No. 222, 51st Cong., 1st sess., 1890, p. 298. 



58 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

above the surrounding prairie, which is estimated to be from 100 
to 120 feet above the level of Pease River at Vernon. Pease 
River flows in a rather wide valley, following closely the northern 
bank and in places cutting into it. The valley plain on the south 
side of the river is about 1£ miles wide and is bordered on the 
south by terraced slopes. Within this valley the river flows in a 
channel about one-fourth of a mile wide. The water of Pease River 
fails entirely during times of extreme drought, and the same is true 
of Red River above the North Fork. The water of both streams, 
more especially of Pease River, is saline, because of the salt re- 
ceived from the beds through which it passes near its source. The 
great cattle trail leading from central Texas to Dodge City, Kans., 
passed through the present site of Vernon and crossed Red River at 
Doans. In 1885, according to J. E. Lapham, 1 there were driven 
through Vernon 300,000 head of cattle, 200,000 head of sheep, and 
190,000 head of horses. The same writer says: 

The climate of the Vernon area is comparatively dry and is characterized by high 
winds and light annual rainfall. The temperature during the summer months is 
generally pretty uniform, averaging about 80° for the months of June, July, and August 
with a few sudden changes. In the fall and winter months, however, considerable 
fluctuation is noticed. Cold winds of great severity sweep down from the north 
without warning, changing the temperature through many degrees in the space of a 
few hours and causing at times much suffering to men and animals exposed to their 
force. During the months of July and August the winds sometimes carry with them 
the other extremes of temperature, the hot blasts at times resulting, in the course of 
a few hours or a day, in the total destruction of a crop of corn, wheat, or cotton. 

GEOLOGY. 

The rocks constituting the substructure of the county belong to 
the Wichita, Clear Fork, and Double Mountain formations of the 
Permian series. The southeastern part of the county is underlain by 
rocks of the Wichita, consisting of red clays and red sandstones 
interstratified at certain horizons with white and gray earthy mag- 
nesian limestones. These limestones represent the northern exten- 
sion of the strata exposed in the bluffs of the Wichita north of 
Seymour. The most northerly exposures of these limestones occur 
on Beaver Creek 9 miles southwest of Eleetra. The diminution in 
the proportion of limestones in the formation and the change in the 
character of the beds themselves toward the north, as noted else- 
where (p. 23), is readily seen by comparing these exposures with 
those on the Wichita and at Seymour. 

The western half of the county is underlain by sandstones, red 
clays, and conglomerates belonging to the Clear Fork formation. 
Limestones are few and mostly of earthy magnesian type. Irregular 
conglomerate beds constitute a noticeable feature of the formation. 
These beds appear to be composed of a mixture of clay and limestone 

i Soil survey of the Vernon area: Field Operations Bur. Soils for 1902, U. 8. Dept. Agr., pp. 366-381. 



WILBAEGEE COUNTY. 59 

constituents, the proportion of lime carbonate being sufficient to 
give decided effervescence with acid. 

The Quaternary deposits are represented by patches of the Sey- 
mour formation (Pleistocene) which cover the higher areas between the 
streams and the alluvial deposits in the valleys. The sands and gravels 
of this formation are from 30 to 40 feet thick in the western part of the 
county but thin out almost entirely in the eastern part. A line drawn 
from the northeast corner of Wilbarger County southwestward 
through Seymour will mark approximately the eastern limit of the 
Seymour formation. East of this line the formation seems to be rep- 
resented only by small isolated patches of coarse conglomerates. 
The streams have cut entirely through the formation in that part of 
Wilbarger County in which it is found, and it appears therefore only 
as finger-like extensions in the interstream areas. 

The bottoms of the main valleys, such as those of Pease and Red 
rivers, are covered to a considerable depth by alluvium, the product 
of the rivers themselves, and along the bluffs in the lower part of the 
Pease River valley and in adjacent parts of the valley of Red River is 
a deposit of sandy loam which may be of eolian origin and considera- 
bly older than the alluvium. Underneath this sandy loam at Red 
Bluff and near Doans Crossing is a bed of volcanic ash, 1 

WATEE CONDITIONS. 

In the valleys of Red and Pease rivers water is obtained in wells 
from 12 to 60 feet deep. In the Red River valley the most common 
depth is 12 to 20 feet. In the sandy areas adjoining the main valleys 
the depth is somewhat greater. The water in these wells is somewhat 
gypseous but as a rule is fairly good. The springs found in some places 
along the borders of the valleys have their origin in the old alluvial 
deposits now found as terrace remnants along the sides of the valleys 
or at the base of the Seymour formation. A notable spring of this char- 
acter occurs at Doans. The flow here comes from a cluster of springs 
which yield a small stream that persists throughout the year. It 
does not reach the river on the surface, but sinks into the sands about 
a mile from its source. 1 Another notable spring is Condon's Spring, 
situated 2 miles west of Vernon at the south side of the Pease River 
valley. The flow here comes from several springs which issue from 
the base of the Seymour formation. The water is good, and a good 
flow is maintained throughout the year. 

In the upland areas north of Pease River and south to the breaks 
of Beaver Creek water can be obtained in wells usually at depths of 
20 to 30 feet, except where the Seymour formation has been removed 
by erosion. The eastern boundary of the Seymour formation is 
about 5 or 6 miles east of Vernon, and beyond this boundary good sup- 
plies of water in shallow wells seem not to be common. 

1 Lapham, J. E., op. cit, p. 369. » Idem, p. 370. 



60 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

HARDEMAN AND FOARD COUNTIES. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

The area of Hardeman County is 532 square miles and that of 
Foard County is 636 square miles. The population of Hardeman 
County is 11,213; that of Foard County 5,726. The mean annual 
rainfall for the two counties is about 25 inches. 

The relief of the area resembles that of Wilbarger County in its 
essential features, comprising a high rolling eastward-sloping plain 
dissected by a number of eastward-flowing tributaries of Red and 
Wichita rivers. The elevation of the plain surface at Quanah is 
1,568 feet above sea level and at Acme, 5 miles west, it is 1,578 feet, 
according to railroad profiles. The northern part of Hardeman 
County is drained by the tributaries of Red River and the southern 
part by Pease River, which constitutes in part the boundary between 
Hardeman and Foard counties. The North Fork of Wichita River 
drains the western part of Foard County; the eastern part is drained 
by the upper tributaries of Beaver Creek. In general the streams 
have wide valleys, but considerable tracts of level land make up the 
interstream areas. 

GEOLOGY. 

These counties are underlain by rocks belonging to the Clear Fork 
and Double Mountain formations of the Permian series. Over consider- 
able areas these beds are covered by later formations, but exposures 
are numerous along the sides of the valleys and in the ravines tribu- 
tary to them. In the eastern part of the counties the rocks consist 
of red clays, red sandy shales, and red sandstones, with a little gypsum 
in thin scattered seams. The slight westward dip of the strata, com- 
bined with the eastward slope of the surface, brings later beds to view in 
the western part of the counties, where the rocks consist of red clays and 
sandstones alternating with blue clays and sandstones, beds of gyp- 
sum, and some limestones. The gypsum occurs in lenses from a few 
inches to 8 or 10 feet thick. The lack of persistency in the gypsum 
beds and their associated magnesian limestones and the varying posi- 
tion of the beds vertically render ineffectual any attempt to correlate 
the different deposits except within small areas. A composite section 
taken between Crowell and Quanah shows the following formations: 

Section showing rocks exposed between Crowell and Quanah, Tex. 

Soil, dark; thins out on approaching breaks of Pease River. Feet. 

Limestone 5 

Blue clay 15 

Gypsum 3 

Red and blue clays, with thin layers of limestone 10 

Gypsum 2 

Blue clays 15 

Gypsum 2 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 317 PLATE II 




A. OUTCROP OF GYPSUM AT ACME, TEX. 




B. SPRING FROM THE CANYON FORMATION AT JACKSBORO, TEX. 



HARDEMAN AND FOARD COUNTIES. 



61 



Feet 

Red and blue clays, with some thin beds of red sandstones 20 

Red sandstones, cross-bedded 4 

Red clays, with thin beds of sandstone 10 

Bluish-white sandstones, cross-bedded 5 

Red clays, with seams of gypsum 15 

The uplands south of Pease River in the vicinity of Crowell and 
south to the breaks of North Fork of Wichita River are covered by fine 
black silt 6 to 8 feet thick underlain by gravel (Seymour) 2 to 3 feet 
thick. The gravels rest upon red joint clay of the Permian. A 
well drilled in the southeastern part of Quanah by J. J. Cyrus gave the 

following section : 

Section of well at Quanah, Tex. 

[Elevation, 1,570 feet.] 



1. Black dirt 

2. Red clay 

3. Blue clay 

4. Limestone 

5. Red and blue clay 

6. Gypsum and clay 

7. Red and blue clay 

8. Gypsum, replaced locally by limestone 

9. Thin bed of gravel with water 

10. Light-colored clay 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


5 


5 


5 


10 


5 


15 


5 


20 


20 


40 


25 


65 


10 


75 


8 


83 


2± 


85± 


10± 


95 ± 



In the center of town bed No. 6 is all clay and No. 8 is replaced 
by limestone. 

Gypsum is quarried at Acme (PL II, A), 5 miles west of Quanah, 
and also at Gypsum, 10 miles west. 

The Seymour formation appears in the interstream areas in thin 
beds of gravel resting upon the eroded surface of the Permian red 
clays. These clays when struck in wells are called "Birdseye" by 
the drillers, from their variegated appearance. In Foard County the 
Seymour formation is about 10 to 15 feet thick and consists of gravel 
below and a dark silt above. This formation was apparently deposited 
in a small body of fresh water, which long ago vanished. 

The wide bottoms of the streams are covered by alluvial deposits 
of considerable depth. The rivers are constantly at work upon these 
deposits and change their channels from time to time, making the 
maintenance of bridges expensive and troublesome. Hence bridges 
are few and the streams are usually crossed by fording. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

In Hardeman County the Seymour formation is thin or absent, and 
supplies of well water are found in the Permian rocks at depths of 
40 to 150 feet. The water obtained in these wells differs greatly in 
quality, but in general it is highly mineralized. For the most part 
cisterns are relied upon for domestic supplies. 



62 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



At Quanah water is found in the center of town in a porous lime- 
stone (No. 8, p. 61) at a depth of 75 feet. Locally this limestone is 
replaced by gypsum and the water occurs in a thin stratum of gravel 
below the gypsum bed. The city supply is drawn from this zone. 
The limestone is not uniformly porous and considerable differences 
exist in wells put down to this horizon. The water found in limestone 
is of fairly good quality, but that in other rocks is gypseous. 

At Acme wells and creeks supply water for general purposes. Most 
of the water for drinking is shipped in, and the supply for other domes- 
tic uses is obtained from cisterns. The wells are from 60 to 160 feet 
deep, the most common depth being 100 feet. Acme is situated on 
South Grosbeck Creek, a perennial stream supplied from springs. 

In Foard County water for domestic use is derived mostly from 
shallow wells and cisterns. Over a considerable part of the county 
water is found in the Seymour formation at depths of 10 to 20 feet. 
Elsewhere the Seymour formation is thin or altogether absent, its 
water supply is small, and in places it is dry. Springs which derive 
their supply from it occur in many places along the sides of valleys 
where the streams have cut through the formation. Some wells 
extend into the Permian clay below. The water from these wells 
is usually too highly mineralized for general use. Some of the water 
from the gravels of the Seymour formation is fair, but as a rule it 
is more or less mineralized. 

At Margaret water for domestic use is obtained from wells about 
20 feet deep. Artificial ponds furnish water for stock. 

In the vicinity of Thalia both wells and cisterns are used for domes- 
tic supplies, the water being found at depths of 12 to 50 feet. 

At Crowell most of the water used is obtained in the gravel under- 
lying the black soil at 12 to 20 feet. This supply is inadequate, how- 
ever, and is supplemented by cisterns and tanks. 

Analyses of water from wells at Quanah are given below: 

Analyses of vjater from wells at Quanah, Tex. 
[Parts per million. Analyst, B. L. Glascock.] 



Silica (SiOj) 16 

Iron(Fe) .6 

Aluminum ( Al) 2. 2 

Calcium (Ca) 406 

Magnesium (Mg) 79 

Sodium (Na) 46 

Potassium (K) 13 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCOj) 249 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 1, 141 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 5.0 

Chlorine (CI) I 60 

Total solids 1, 988 

Turbidity 

Date of collection Sept. 12,1907 



18 
1.2 
1.0 
252 
85 
74 
12 
.0 
151 
816 
19 
173 
1,618 

Sept. 24, 1907 



1. Well of Bert Abbott. Depth, 65 feet. Upper Permian. 

2. Well at ice plant. Upper Permian. 



KNOX COUNTY. 63 

The following note has been prepared by R. B. Dole: 

Both waters are too high in mineral content, and especially in sulphates, to be 
very good for domestic use, though they are drinkable. They would be corrosive 
and contain too great quantities of scale-forming ingredients to be suitable for boiler 
use. The chemicals necessary to correct the scaling and corroding tendencies would 
render them likely to foam badly in boilers. 

KNOX COUNTY. 

PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Knox County, which adjoins Foard County on the south, is rectan- 
gular in outline and contains an area of 947 square miles. Its popula- 
tion is 9,625. The county seat is Benjamin. The mean annual 
rainfall is 25 inches. 

The surface consists of a rolling eastward-sloping plain intersected 
by the wide valleys of the Salt Fork of Brazos River and the North 
and South forks of Wichita River. Considerable areas between the 
drainage systems remain undissected. The soil in these upland 
areas is generally of excellent quality and well suited to agriculture. 
The bottom lands, where not subject to overflow, offer favorable 
conditions for farming, but at the sides of the valleys there are con- 
siderable areas of badlands due to the erosion of the Permian shales 
and sandstones. The present valley of the Salt Fork has a depth of 
about 75 feet below the general plain level, which ranges from 1,475 
to 1,525 feet above the sea. The valleys of Wichita and Brazos 
rivers are 3 to 4 miles wide, the main valley plains having a depth 
of about 50 feet below the general surface. Within these older 
valleys and about 10 feet below their level the rivers have cut later 
valleys with terraced slopes. The rivers flow in channels about 10 
feet deep in the bottoms of these later valleys. 

GEOLOGY. 

The substructure of Knox County consists entirely of the red clays 
and sandstones, with their associated blue shales and gypsum, be- 
longing to the Clear Fork and Double Mountain formations of the 
Permian series. These formations outcrop extensively along the 
valleys of the streams, but in the upland areas they are covered by 
the sands and gravels of the Seymour formation. A section taken 
in the breaks of the South Fork of the Wichita near the road leading 
north from Benjamin shows the following formations: 

Section in breaks of the South Fork of Wichita River. 

Pleistocene: Feet. 

Sand and gravel with lenses of red clay. Gravels contain 

numerous worn shells of Gryphaea (Seymour formation) 25 

Permian: 

Red clay with white spots ("Birdseye " of drillers) 10 

Bluish-white clay grading horizontally into magnesian lime- 
stone 1-6 

Red clays mottled with white ("Birdseye" of drillers) with 
lenses of limestone and gypsum 15 



64 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

In the southern part of the county the surface formations consist 
of 30 feet of the sand and red silts underlain by gravels (Seymour 
formation). In these are often found the bones and teeth of mammals, 
Mastodon and Equus, as noted elsewhere (pp. 31). 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

Where well developed the Seymour formation usually contains 
water of good quality. The supply is not everywhere abundant, 
however, and some wells extend through the Seymour into the Per- 
mian beds before obtaining water. 

The red clays of the Permian constitute the source of supply in 
many wells, but the water from them is always mineralized, so much 
so in places that it can not be used. The wells are of varying depth, 
usually more than 50 feet. 

The deep-water conditions are not such as to warrant the expecta- 
tion of finding potable supplies of water within the range of practi- 
cable drilling. 

HASKELL COUNTY. 

PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

The surface of Haskell County consists of a high rolling plain which 
rises toward the west. The county has an area of 843 square miles, 
and its population in 1910 was 16,249, an increase of over 500 per 
cent in the decade since 1900. The county seat is Haskell. The 
mean annual rainfall is 25 inches. There are few streams in the 
county, and these are small and unimportant. The eastern part of 
the county is drained by Paint and Millers creeks, the former flowing 
eastward into the Clear Fork and the latter northeastward into the 
Salt Fork south of Seymour. In the western part of the county the 
Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos swings eastward into the county, 
but leaves it again before reaching the northern boundary. 

At Haskell the elevation at the station of the Wichita Valley Rail- 
way is 1,574 feet above sea level. At Rule, on the open plain about 
10 miles west of Haskell, the elevation is 1,672 feet at the Kansas 
City, Mexico & Orient Railway. Carney, near the northern boundary 
of the county, nearly due north of Rule, on the same railway, is 1,560 
feet above sea level. 

GEOLOGY. 

The geology of Haskell County does not differ essentially from that 
of Knox County. The Seymour formation has a thickness of about 
30 feet over the eastern part of the county but thickens toward the 
west to 50 or 60 feet. For i ho most part the streams cut through 
this formation into the red beds of the Permian below. The larger 
part of the Seymour formation consists of fine red and yellow calca- 
reous clay or silt containing a varying amount of sand. The red 



HASKELL COUNTY. 



65 



clays, which are 20 to 30 feet thick, rest upon about 10 feet of sand 
and gravel. In places the calcareous clays are consolidated in their 
upper portion into an irregular deposit of impure limestone, the 
caliche of the semiarid regions (p. 32). 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

At Haskell water is obtained from the gravel bed at the base of the 
Seymour formation. The wells are generally from 20 to 35 feet deep 
in the vicinity of the town. As the formation thins toward the south, 
the wells are shallower in that direction. Where the streams have 
sunk their channels through the gravels, springs may appear, as, for 
example, the Rice spring at Haskell. 

West of Haskell the wells in the gravels increase somewhat in 
depth, owing to the thickening of the formation. On approaching 
the Double Mountain Fork, whose channel extends considerably 
below the level of the gravels, these beds appear to be bereft of water 
and the wells extend some distance into the red clays (Permian) 
before sinking water, which, as elsewhere in this series, is of poor 
quality. 

The following table gives several analyses of Haskell County waters: 

Analyses of ground waters in Haskell County, Tex. 
[Parts per million. Analyst, B. L. Glascock.] 



SOica(SiOs) 

Iron(Fe) 

Aluminum (Al) 

Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sodium (Na) 

Potassium (K) 

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3). 

Sulphate radicle (S0«) 

Nitrate radicle (NO3) 

Chlorine (CI) 

Total solids 

Turbidity 

Date of collection 



23 

.35 

5.6 

464 

301 

2,377 

25 

19 

571 

3,512 

1.06 
2,512 
9,469 

Sept. 6,1907 



Sept. 



29 
.6 
.4 
30 
16 
133 
6.5 
19 
283 
134 
26 
102 
626 

6, 1907 



20 
1 

3.8 

311 

120 

190 

8 

4.8 

202 

1,237 

4 

169 

2,320 



Sept. 24,1907 



37 



70 

30 

72 

8 

2.4 

373 

50 

11 

21 

446 



Sept. 24, 1907 



20 
.2 
.4 
259 
106 
195 
25 

150 
1,148 
2.5 
174 
2,065 

Sept. 12, 1907 



1. Well of J. W. Westbrook, at Haskell, Tex.; depth, 10 feet. Seymour formation. 

2. Courthouse well at Haskell, Tex.; depth, 20 feet. Seymour formation. 

3. Well "Harder water," at Rule, Tex.; depth, 75+ feet. Upper Permian. 

4. Well, "Softer water," at Rule, Tex.; depth, 40-50 feet. Seymour formation. 

5. Foster & Jones's hotel well at Rule, Tex.; depth, 60 feet. Seymour formation. 

The following note regarding the usefulness of these waters has 
been prepared by R. B. Dole, of the United States Geological Survey: 

The first water is so strong that it is unfit for use. Analyses 2 and 4, of calcium- 
carbonate waters only moderately mineralized, represent the best supplies. These 
two waters are fairly well adapted to irrigation and to use as boiler feed and are accept- 
able for domestic service. The waters represented by analyses 3 and 5 are similar to 
each other, being sulphate waters of too high mineral content to be very acceptable 
ford omestic use, though they are drinkable and may be classed as fair for irrigation; 
they are unfit for supplying steam boilers. 

70056°— wsp 317—13 5 



66 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



At Rule the well of Werner Rule, located in the southwestern part 

of the town, gives the following record, according to the driller, 

E. F. Heller: 

Record of Rule veil, at Rule, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soft dark sandy soil 

Hard white mail 

Soft white sand and gravel 

Hard reddish rock 

Hard white clay 

Hard red clay, water bearing 

Hard red clay 

Hard white clay, water bearing, yielding one-half gallon a minute 



Feet. 
3 

24 
14 
2 
2 
2 
17 
2 



Feet. 



3 

27 
41 
43 
45 
47 
64 
66 



The well of Mr. Williams, located on the north side of the town, is 
105 feet deep, with the following record: 

Record of Williams well, at Rule, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soft dark soil 

Hard gray marl 

Soft red sand and graveL 

Hard reddish rock 

Hard gray clay 

Hard red clay, water bearing 

Hard white clay, water bearing. . 

Hard red clay 

Hard grayish clay, water bearing 

Hard red clay 

Hard grayish clay, water bearing 
Hard red clay 



Feet. 
3 

27 

10 
2 
1 

12 
2 

28 
2 
8 
5 
5 



Feet. 
3 

30 
40 
42 
43 
55 
57 
85 
87 
95 
100 
105 



Ten miles northwest of Rule, on the farm of W. E. Pyeatt, is a 
well whose record, according to the driller, E. F. Heller, is as follows: 

Record of Pyeatt well, near Rule, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soft dark sandy soil 

Hard red sand 

Hard gray marl 

Soft red sand 

Hard red day 

Hard white clay, water bearing 

Hard red clay 

Hard red clay, water bearing. . . 
Hard red clay 



Feet. 
5 

15 
5 

52 
5 
1 

24 
1 
4 



Feet. 

5 

20 

25 

72 

82 

83 

107 

108 

112 



BAYLOR COUNTY. 



67 



About 12 miles southwest of Rule, on the farm of C. Boardner, is a 

well 70 feet deep, with the following record, according to the same 

authority: 

Record of Boardner well, near Rule, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Black firm soil 

Hard chalky soil 

Reddish soft sand 

Hard red stone 

White soft sand 

Hard red clay 

Hard grayish clay, water bearing 

Hard white sandstone 

Soft blue clay, water bearing 



Feet. 
3 
9 
4 
3 
2 

31 
1 

16 



Feet. 



3 

12 

16 
19 
21 
52 
53 
69 
70 



The water in the Boardner well is said to rise within 40 feet of the 
surface. 

Many wells in the western part of Haskell County derive their 
supplies from the Seymour formation at depths of 40 to 50 feet. 
The water from this horizon is reported as "soft" and fairly good. 
The water in the deeper wells is obtained from the Permian beds and 
is more highly mineralized. 

BAYLOR COUNTY. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Baylor County has an area of 957 square miles and in 1910 had a 
population of 8,411. The mean annual rainfall of the county is 38 
inches. The altitude of the county is approximately 1,500 feet above 
sea level. The north half of the county is drained by Wichita Eiver, 
formed by the junction of the South and North forks in the western 
part of the county. The Salt Fork of Brazos River flows in a south- 
easterly direction across the southern part of the county. For the 
most part these streams flow in rather wide valleys. At Seymour 
the Salt Fork cuts across a belt of limestone, and in this part of its 
course its valley is narrower. 

The surface of the county in the interstream area is a high rolling 
plain. In the valley of the main stream and over portions of the 
uplands the soil is fertile and capable of producing abundant crops. 

GEOLOGY. 

The indurated rocks of the county belong to the Permian series. 
The Wichita formation crops out over the eastern half of the county, 
and in this area some of the most interesting Permian fossils have been 
found. The rocks, which consist of blue and red shales and white 
to bluish-gray magnesian limestones, constitute the upper portion 



68 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

of the Wichita formation. At Seymour, where the river has cut into 
the formation, the following section was obtained: 

Section at Seymour, Tex. 

Lieht-reddish sandy soil at surface, underlain by dark-rod Ft. tn. 

sandy soil 2 

Blue shale, with thin ledges of maenesian limestone 6 

Limestone in massive beds, passing horizontally into shah- 
beds 5 

Dark clay shale 1 6 

Concretionary calcareous shale and limestones 6 

Limestone in two massive ledges separated by 1 to 4 inches 

of blue clay shale 3 

Blue shale 10 

Argillaceous limestone and dark-blue shale 3 

Limestone with varying proportions of shale 4 

Blue clay 3 

Red clay 5 

Blue clay 2 

Limestone 2 

Blue clay shale 5 

Limestone 6 

Blue clay shale 4 

Limestone 1 6 

Blue shale, with lenses of limestone 3 

Blue clay shale, interbedded with thin limestone 2 

Limestone 16 

102 

These limestones outcrop in a belt extending southward from this 
point across Throckmorton County and beyond. Xorth of Seymour 
they were observed in the vallev of Wichita River, east of the Sev- 
mour-Vernon road, and also on Beaver Creek. In their northward 
extent the limestones diminish in thickness, and there is a correspond- 
ing increase in the proportion of red clays and shales. Many of the 
limestones are white and chalky and in beds of this kind near Ma- 
belie abundant fragments of vertebrate remains were seen, among them 
being the piece of a jaw of a vertebrate, but vigorous search failed to 
bring to light remains sufficient for identification. Williston ' has 
recorded the discovery in 1909 in Baylor County of the remains of 
vertebrates, among which are several forms new to science. Some of 
these were found about 6 miles east of Seymour and others on West 
Coffee Creek. 

The Seymour formation constitutes the formation at the surface 
over the upland areas west of the town of Seymour, which lies upon 
the sand of this formation. The formation does not occur generally 
east of Seymour, but in some places, as near Mabelle station, there 
are patches of conglomerate which possibly represent outliers of the 
formation. 

I Jour. Geology, vol. 17, 1909, pp. 636-658; vol. 18, 1910, pp. 526-536, 585-600; vol. 19, 1911, pp. 232-237. 



BAYLOR COUNTY. 



69 



WATER CONDITIONS. 

In the eastern part of the county cisterns are in common use for 
supplies of water for domestic purposes, but tanks are the chief 
resource for stock. Some wells are used in the upland areas, where, 
however, the water is not generally of satisfactory quality. In the 
western part of the county fairly good water is found in the Seymour 
formation, and in the sands and gravels along the main valley. The 
depth of the wells in this area is from 15 to 45 feet, the most common 
depth being 20 to 25 feet. Some wells extend below the Seymour 
formation into the underlying formation, but these invariably yield 
gypseous water. 

The character of the water obtained from the Seymour formation 
at Seymour is shown by the following analysis of the water from the 
roundhouse well: 

Analysis of water from roundhouse well, Seymour, Tex. 
[Parts per million. W. M. Barr, analyst. Sample collected Nov. 1, 1906.] 

Silica (Si0 2 ) 22 

Iron (Fe) 05 

Calcium (Ca) 61 

Magnesium (Mg) 32 

Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) 183 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 401 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 86 

Chlorine (CI) 152 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 9. 7 

Total solids 746 

Suspended matter 

Along the valley of Salt Fork water is found in the sands and gravels 
at depths of 15 to 25 feet. In some places the water is of good quality, 
but generally it contains a considerable amount of mineral matter. 

The following are analyses of water from two wells at Round Timber: 

Analyses of water from wells at Round Timber, Tex. 
[Parts per million. Samples collected Oct. 9, 1906.] 




Well 200 

yards 

northeast 

of the store; 

depth 40 

feet. 



Silica (SiOj) 

Iron (Fe) 

Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) 

Carbonate radicle (COi) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO«) 

Sulphate radicle (SO«) 

Chlorine (CI) 

Nitrate radicle (NO$) 

Total solids 

Turbidity 



28 

82' 

323 

414' 

i:;s 

4U1 

40 

1.31S 

5 



70 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WTCHTTA REGION', TEXAS. 

The differences in the analyses of these waters are probably due to 
the fact thai the well at the store derives its supply in part from the 
Wichita formation. The character of the water, considered in con- 
nection with the depth and location of this well near the side of the 
valley, indicates that the bottom of the well is in the shales of the 
Wichita formation. 

At Shady, in the southwestern part of the county, water is obtained 
chiefly from open wells, ranging from 15 to 40 feet in depth, the most 
common depth being 35 feet. These wells have their source of 
supply in the Seymour formation. The well of J. F. Jones is 9Sh 
feet in depth, and evidently finds water in the Permian clays under- 
lying the Seymour formation. 

Springs are rare in the county. They exist chiefly where streams 
have cut their channels to the level of the ground water in the Seymour 
formation. The most notable spring in this region is owned by Albert 
Par, of Shady. 

THROCKMORTON COUNTY. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Throckmorton County lies south of Baylor County and east of 
Haskell. It has an area of 821 square miles and a population, 
according to the census of 1910, of 4,563; its county seat is Throck- 
morton, situated near the center of the county. The mean annual 
rainfall is 28 inches. 

The surface is high and rolling and there are few streams of impor- 
tance. The Clear Fork of the Brazos cuts off a small triangular area in 
the southwest corner and the Salt Fork a like area in the northeast 
corner of the county. The county is drained by these tw T o streams 
and their tributaries. The interstream areas, which are either flat 
or gently rolling, constitute remnants of an extensive plain into which 
the tributaries have cut wide and shallow valleys. The topography 
is characterized by a benchlike structure resulting from the resistance 
offered to erosion by a series of heavy beds of limestone. The east- 
ward-facing scarps of these limestones constitute a series of rock ter- 
races that extend in a north-northeastward direction through the 
middle of the county. These terraces have their best development, 
however, farther south in Shackelford and Stephens counties. 

GEOLOGY. 

Except in small areas in the northwestern part of the county and 
along the eastern boundary the rocks outcropping in Throckmorton 
County belong to the Wichita formation. The beds strike nearly 
north and south and dip slightly to the west. The upper part of the 
formation is made up of heavy beds of hard limestone alternating with 
thicker beds of blue and red shales and sandstones. The limestones 



THROCKMORTON COUNTY. 71 

appear about 8 miles east of Throckmorton and cap the higher levels 
throughout the middle and western portions of the county. These 
beds outcrop in prominent escarpments on the north side of the Clear 
Fork and farther north wherever the streams have eroded their 
channels through them. 

The limestones vary in color from grayish white to blue and in 
texture from earthy and granular to hard and compact. Some of the 
layers are thick and massive, and although the limestones constitute 
the minor part of the formation, their resistance to erosion makes 
them, in the area of their outcrop, the dominant features of the land- 
scape. The character of some of these exposures will be seen from 
the following section of the bluff facing the Clear Fork: 

Section of Wichita formation on north side of Clear Fork. 

Soil, from a few inches to a few feet in thickness. Feet. 

Blue shales and thin beds of limestones 30 

Hard earthy limestone 1 

Blue shale 2 

Fossiliferous limestone, earthy and containing more or less gyp- 
sum. Upper 4 feet hard, blue, and full of remains of brachiopods 
and gastropods, mostly changed to gypsum or calcite 10 

Blue and red shales, some portions grading locally into sandy 
shales and sandstones. The upper part contains considerable 
gypsum; the lower has an abundance of iron concretions. Con- 
tains also thin lenses of limestone and gypsum; exposed 40 

Three miles north of Throckmorton a 10-foot ledge of limestone 
yielded the following fossils: 

Derbya cymbula. 
Myalina deltoidea. 
Aviculipinna peracuta. 
Pleurophorus aff . calhouni. 
Annelid n. g., n. sp. 

The eastern part of the county is underlain by lower beds consisting 
mostly of sandy shales and sandstones with some limestones. Some 
hills in the southeastern part carved out of these formations by erosion 
are known locally as Fane Mountain. The section obtained here 
shows chiefly sandy shales and sandstones, blue clay shales, and 
scattered lenses of blue limestone. In some of the beds there is a 
profusion of Myalina permiana. Some buttes in the northern part 
of the county, on the Throckmorton-Seymour road, apparently 
belong to this horizon. They consist mostly of shales with a few thin 
beds of limestone and some sandstones. Many specimens of Myalina 
permiana are scattered over the surface. Red colors dominate over 
blue in the shales of this locality, but at Fane Mountain the reverse is 
true. 

Beds of upper Permian age appear in the extreme western and 
northwestern parts of the county. 



72 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

With the possible exception of a small area of Seymour formation 
in the western part of the county, the only deposits later in age than 
the Permian are the alluvial deposits along the valley bottoms. 

The soils are exceedingly fertile in the limestone areas and only 
slightly less so in the more sandy areas. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

Except in the valleys, the principal water supply is derived from 
pools and cisterns. Here and there a well on the upland areas fur- 
nishes good water. 

Two wells in Throckmorton find water that is said to be soft at a 
depth of 50 feet. Few wells in the county reach a depth of more than 
100 feet. Plenty of water may be found at different depths in the 
underlying rocks, but it is more or less mineralized and unfit for use. 
There is little prospect that good water can be obtained in the deep- 
seated beds. A few good springs occur in the county. 

YOUNG COUNTY. 

PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Young County adjoins Throckmorton County on the east. In 
shape it is rectangular (approximately square) and has an area of 
821 square miles. Its population according to the 1910 census was 
13,657. The county seat is Graham. The mean annual rainfall is 
30 inches. 

The surface of this county is more or less irregular and broken and 
may be characterized topographically as a plain in which denuda- 
tion has proceeded to the extent of removing a large portion of the 
original surface and has developed a moderately mature system of 
drainage. The underlying rocks include several series of hard beds, 
whose resistance to erosion is expressed in a succession of escarpments 
extending from southwest to northeast. The heights of these escarp- 
ments vary according to the relative thickness of the hard and soft 
formations. The creeks and rivers have transected them in many 
places, leaving isolated hills and elevations, some of considerable size.' 
The highest of these hills are locally called mountains, as the Belknap 
Mountains, near old Fort Belknap, and Flat Mountain, in the north- 
eastern part of the county. 

The county is drained by the Salt Fork of Brazos River and its 
tributaries, except a small area in the northeast corner, which is 
drained by small tributaries of the West Fork of Trinity River. The 
Salt Fork enters the county near the northwest corner, and after 
making a wide detour toward the south, receiving the Clear Fork 
from the southwest, passes out at the southeast corner. The princi- 
pal tributary lying wholly within the county is Salt Creek, which, 
with its affluents, drains the northeastern portion of the county. 



YOUNG COUNTY. 73 

GEOLOGY. 

By far the larger part of the rocks outcropping in Young County 
belong to the Cisco formation, but the Wichita formation occupies a 
narrow belt along the west side of the county. In the extreme 
southeast the Salt Fork has cut through the Cisco, exposing the canyon 
formation in the immediate vicinity of the stream. 

The beds exposed in the western part of the county consist of 
sandy shales and sandstones, blue shales, and a few limestones, repre- 
senting the lower division of the Wichita as seen in eastern Throck- 
morton County. The surface is covered with a mantle of residual soil 
which hides the indurated rocks more or less completely. Moreover 
a close correspondence in lithologic character exists between the lower 
beds of the Wichita formation and the upper beds of the Cisco, and 
hence the boundary line between the two formations as shown on the 
accompanying map is to be considered as approximate only. 

The Cisco, which underlies the larger part of the county, consists 
chiefly of sandy shales and clays, sandstones, and conglomerates, with 
a few beds of limestone and two or more beds of coal. The con- 
glomerates are made up of waterworn siliceous pebbles in a sandy 
matrix, with numerous concretions of iron ore, often in hollow 
nodules. They pass locally into pebbly sands and coarse-grained 
sandstones. Owing to their resistance to erosion, the conglomerates 
cap many of the hills and escarpments. The sandstones are mostly 
coarse grained and yellowish to red and white. The clays are blue, 
yellow, and red, or in places variegated. There is a transition in 
color from blue, which prevails at the south side of the county, to 
red, which is the predominating color at the north. The limestones 
are scattered through the formation, but are more characteristic of 
the upper part. They range in thickness from a few inches to about 
2 feet. The banks of the Salt Fork expose several strata of limestone, 
one of which is underlain by a bed of coal. This coal appears at 
the bridge crossing, west of Graham, and at Millers Bend crossing 
several miles above. The combined section obtained in these two 
places is as follows: 

Section between Millers Bend crossing and bridge crossing. 

Soil. Ft. In. 

Limestone 10 

Shales, blue, some layers sandy 70 

Limestone 1 

Blue shales 2 

Limestone, fossiliferous 2 

Coal; not well exposed; thickness estimated at about 1 foot. 

Fire clay filled with brown iron ore 6 

Blue clay shales with alternating layers of red clays containing 

iron concretions 10 

Sandy shales and sandstonee 15 

106 10 



74 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



Iu the vicinity of old Fort Belknap coal is mined from a seam lying 
above the one indicated in this section. In 1907 Williams & Merrill 
were taking out coal from the bed of a small stream about a mile north 
of Fort Belknap by stripping. The coal is exposed for some distance 
in the bed of the stream and at the place worked has a thickness of 3 
feet. Within a distance of 25 yards upstream it thins to 20 inches 
of impure shaly coal. About 150 yards north of this point at Clark 
& Merrill's mine, the same seam is reached by a short slope. The 
coal here is 3 feet thick and is overlain by 20 feet of sandy shales with 
a thin seam of coal near the top. Above these are sandstones 30 to 
40 feet thick. A detailed description of the coal formations of 
Young County is given by Cummins. 1 

A section of the rocks exposed in the bank of Salt Creek opposite 
the gin at Graham is given on page 19. 

A well put down at Graham a number of years ago gave the follow- 
ing section: 2 

Section of well at Graham, Tex. 



Sandy loam 

Blue sandy clay 

Gravel and sand 

Conglomerate 

Cream-colored clay 

Yellowish and bluish sandstone 

Hard yellow sandstone 

Coal 

Coarse yellow soft sandstone 

Hard quartzose sandstone 

Fire clay, bluish 

Hard brown clay 

Brown sandstone, porous (gas) 

Clay and slate 

Brown cfcy, very hard 

Variegated clay 

Fire clay with thin stratum of shale 

Black "slate" with gas 

Red shale 

Sandstone 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


16 


16 


3 


19 


8 


27 


16 


43 


8 


51 


10 


61 


5 


66 


1 


67 


4 


71 


13 


84 


42 


126 


5 


131 


5 


136 


9 


145 


8 


153 


148 


301 


70 


371 


81 


379J 


10 


389* 


1* 


391 



The record of a prospect hole 3J miles southwest of Belknap was 
kindly furnished by the owner, Judge R. F. Arnold, of Graham. 
This hole is located in what is known as Sugar Hollow, on Gibbon 
Creek. The drill began near the top of the Cisco but did not pene- 
trate the full thickness of that formation. 



• Cummins, W. F., Second Ann. Kept. Tolas Geol. Survey, 1890, pp. 492-502. 



*Idem, p. 505. 



YOUNG COUNTY. 

Record of Belknap well, 3\ miles southwest of Belknap, Tex. 



75 




1. Rock concrete (conglomerate) 

2. Yellow clay 

3. Carbonaceous limestone 

4. Gray clay 

5. Limestone 

6. Fire clay 

7. Rock(?) 

8. Spotted clay 

9. Sandstone 

10. Slate 

11. Coal ("Belknap coal") 

12. Soapstone 

13. Sandstone 

14. Soapstone 

15. Limestone 

16. Blue clay 

17. Carbonaceous limestone 

18. Soapstone 

19. Slate 

20. Fire clay 

21 . Carbonaceous limestone 

22. Blue clay 

23. Carbonaceous limestone 

24. Blue clay 

25. Carbonaceous clay 

26. Coal, "of good quality" 

27. Blue clay 

28. Fire clay 

29. "Mineral" clay 

30. Blue rock (very hard) 

31 . Blue clay 

32. Carbonaceous limestone 

33. Sandstone ("contains some gas") 

34. Shale 

35. Blue rock 

36. Blue clay 

37. Blue rock 

38. Blue clay 

39. Sandstone (gas) 

40. Green shale 

41. Sandstone (gas) 

42. Dark shale 

43. Sandstone (water) 

44. Carbonaceous limestone 

45. Blue shale 

46. Sandstone 

47. Rock concrete (conglomerate) 

48. Gray rock (gas) 

49. Blue shale 

50. Black muck 

51. Blue clay 

52. Limestone 

53. Blue shale 

54. Black gumbo 

55. Blue shale 

56. Gray sandstone 

57. Salt sandrock 

58. Shale 

59. Rock (water) 

60. Blue clay 

61. Rock (oil) 

62. Dark-blue clay 

63. Hard sandstone 

64. Soft rock (water) 



Feet. 
3 
4 
4 
2 
li 
3} 



3 

2} 

7i 

3" 

5 

3 

1 

2 

6J 

4} 

5 

2 

1 

2} 

2§ 

10 

6 
10 

2 
11 
20 
42 
12 

3 

2 

3 
13 

7 
25 

7 

6 
33 

5 

6 
21 
37 
13 
45 

5 
16 

5 

5 

6 

m 

4 

22 

136 
22 

2 

8 

8 
18 

6 



Feet. 

3 

7 

11 

13 

H} 

18 

20 

25 

33 

36 

38} 

46 

49 

54 

57 

58 

60 

66} 

71 

76 

78 

79 

81} 

83 

88} 

91 

101 

107 

117 

119 

130 

150 

192 

204 

207 

209 

212 

225 

232 

257 

264 

270 

303 

308 

314 

335 

372 

385 

430 

435 

451 

456 

461 

467 

489} 

504 

526 

662 

684 

686 

694 

702 

720 

726 



The upper coal (No. 11) is the one mined near Belknap, and the 
lower seam (No. 26) is probably the stratum seen in the banks of the 
river (p. 73) . Beds 47 to 56 are believed to represent the outcrop 
shown in the banks of Salt Creek at Graham. (See section, p. 19.) 
Indications of gas and oil were reported at several horizons, but 
not in commercial quantities. 



76 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

One mile northwest of Murray post office a well put down in 1900 
struck gas at a depth of 3644 feet. Pressure has decreased since the 
well was first opened, but in 1907 the escape was sufficient to furnish 
a blaze about IS inches high. 

In the eastern part of the county the indurated beds consist 
principally of sandstones and some conglomerates interbedded with 
blue and yellow clays. At a number of places outcrops of thin beds 
of limestone were observed. These belong near the base of the Cisco 
formation. There are several of these limestone beds, ranging from 
a few inches to 1 or 2 feet in thickness and interbedded with shales. 
The southeastern part of the county is underlain by sandstones and 
conglomerates and a few thin beds of limestone interbedded with 
blue and yellow clays. These rocks rest upon the limestones of the 
Canyon formation, small exposures of which appear in the banks of 
the Salt Fork of the Brazos, in the extreme southeast corner of the 
county. The country is much dissected by erosion, the hills being 
for the most part capped by conglomerate. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

Water for domestic use is obtained largery from cisterns and shallow 
wells. The wells derive their supplies from the residual sands or 
upper portions of the sandstones. In many places the underground 
waters are unsatisfactory and supplies are difficult to obtain. Creeks 
and storage tanks are relied upon for stock. 

Man} r of the sandstones of the Cisco are porous and contain abun- 
dant supplies of water, but for the most part the water is more or less 
impregnated with sodium chloride and other mineral salts, although 
a few wells of moderate depth in the sandstone furnish water of fair 
quality. Salt Creek owes its name to the fact that during dry seasons 
salt was found incrusting the rocks and gravel in the bed of the 
stream. The water found in quantities in the deep well put down 
at Graham (p. 74) is reported to contain 22 to 25 per cent of salt. 
The largest supply of water is found at a depth of 200 to 300 feet. 
No flowing wells are known in this locality, the water in the deep 
wells rising no higher than 30 feet from the surface. 

Samples from a number of wells were analyzed in the Survey 
laboratory, with the results shown in the following table: 



YOUNG COUNTY. 



77 



Analyses of water from wells in Young County, Tex. 
[Parts per million.) 



Silica (Si0 2 ) 

Iron (Fe) 

Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) 

Carbonate radicle (CO3) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 

Chlorine (CI) 

Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 

Turbidity 

Total solids 

Date of collection . 



7.6 
4.0 
898 
230 
7,316 
.0 
164 
42 
13, 580 
2.2 
(a) 
22, 579 
Decem- 
ber, 1906 



13 

1. 
554 
534 
166 

445* 

2,934 

293 



8.2 



5. 334 
Febru- 
ary,1907 



12 
Tr. 
83 
16 
70 
.0 
339 
55 
56 
4.2 
5 
451 
Decem- 
ber, 1906 



8.4 
.45 
504 
222 
295 

.0 
242 
1,887 
158 
16 
(a) 
3,223 
Decem- 
ber, 1906 



14 

Tr. 
116 
46 
164 

.0 
354 
154 
245 
28 
.0 
945 
October 
11, 1906 



a A slight turbidity, probably due to precipitation of iron after collection of sample. 
b Phosphate radicle (P0 4 ), 0.0. 

1. Judge R. F. Arnold's well, Graham; depth, 110 feet. W. M. Barr, analyst. 

2. Barber shop well, Graham; depth, 61 feet. H. S. Spaulding, analyst. 

3. John C. Kay's well, Graham; depth, 65 feet. W. M. Barr, analyst. 

4. Well on lot 10, block 11, Graham. W. M. Barr, analyst. 

5. Pandy's well, 3 miles southeast of Spring Creek; depth, 20 feet. W. M. Barr, analyst. 

The following notes on the quality of these waters have been 
furnished by R. B. Dole, chemist, United States Geological Survey: 

1. Probable scale-forming ingredients, nearly 3,000 parts per million; foaming 
ingredients, 20,000 parts; water is probably corrosive. This is a sodium-chloride 
water, unfit for boiler use, for irrigation, or for water supply. 

2. Probable scale-forming ingredients, 2,500 parts per million; foaming ingredients, 
450 parts; water is probably corrosive. This is a calcium-sulphate water, which would 
be bad for domestic use on account of its high mineral content. Its high scale-forming 
content and the probability of corrosion make it very bad for boiler use; if it were 
purified by the use of lime and soda ash, the foaming ingredients would thereby be 
increased to a degree almost prohibitive. The water could be called only fair for 
irrigation. 

3. This seems to be the best water. It is a calcium-carbonate water of moderate 
mineral content and fair for boiler use. It could be improved by softening. The 
probable scale-forming ingredients are 280 parts per million; foaming ingredients, 
190 parts; water is noncorrosive. It would be entirely acceptable for use in irrigation. 

4. Calcium-sulphate water of high mineral content; probable scale-forming ingre- 
dients, 1,800 parts per million; foaming ingredients, 800 parts; water is probably 
corrosive. This water is unfit for boiler use without purification and softening, which 
would increase the foaming ingredients and render the water likely to foam badly. 
It is potable but would probably have a distinct "gypsum" taste. It probably 
could be used for irrigation on loose sandy soils where there would be good opportunity 
for thorough underdiainage. 

5. A water of fairly high mineral content; probable scale-forming ingredients, 430 
parts per million; foaming ingredients, 440 parts; corrosion uncertain; water bad for 
boiler use in its raw state, but could be purified. It would be acceptable for domestic 
use but would be considerably harder than No. 3. The remark on No. 4 regarding 
its use for irrigation applies to No. 5. 

There are few springs in the county, and none of any importance 
as a source of water supply. 



78 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

There is scarcely any probability that flowing wells can be obtained 
in this county, except possibly at a few localities in the eastern part. 
Wells put down to the basal beds of the Cisco formation find supplies 
of water which in a few places may reach the surface. The limestones 
of the Canyon formation should be reached in the eastern part of the 
county at depths of 250 to 500 feet. Farther west they lie at greater 
depths from the surface, possibly at 800 to 1,000 feet. Aside from 
the fact that the water would probably not rise to the surface, the 
unfavorable prospects for obtaining desirable deep-seated supplies 
in this part of the county are enhanced by the probability that with 
the increased distance from the outcrop the water would become too 
highly impregnated with mineral matter for use. 

JACK COUNTY. 
PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Jack County, which adjoins Young County on the east, is rectan- 
gular in shape and has an area of 858 square miles. Its population 
is 11,817 (1910). The mean annual rainfall is 33 inches. The county 
seat is Jacksboro. 

The surface of the county is made up of hills and ridges, interspersed 
with broad valleys and plateaus. The striking features of the topog- 
raphy of this county are the broad, flat prairies flanked by hills and 
ridges, a result of the varying resistance offered to erosion by the 
different rock formations. Northeast of Jacksboro the hills are 
capped by sandstone and conglomerate; the valleys are located upon 
the more easily eroded limestones. 

The larger part of the county is drained mainly by the West Fork 
of Trinity River, which enters at the northwest corner and flows in a 
southerly direction across the county. A small area in the southern 
part of the county is drained by small tributaries of the Salt Fork of 
the Brazos. 

GEOLOGY. 

All three of the formations of the Pennsylvanian in Texas, the 
Strawn, Canyon, and Cisco, outcrop within the boundaries of Jack 
County. The Strawn underlies a small triangular area in the south- 
east corner of the county; the northern and western portions, con- 
stituting more than half of the county, are underlain by the Cisco. 
The intervening belt is occupied by the Canyon formation. All these 
formations dip toward the northwest at approximately 30 to 40 feet 
to the mile. 

The character of the Cisco is much the same as in Young County. 
Sandstones, shales, and conglomerates, with a few limestones, con- 
stitute most of the formation. Coal outcrops in places in the valley 
of the West Fork in the northern part of the county. A drill hole 
put down in 1900 to a depth of 340 feet on the land of D. L. Knox on 



JACK COUNTY. 



79 



Lost Valley Creek, near Squaw Mountain, failed to penetrate the Cisco 
formation. Three water-bearing beds were passed through, the first 
at a depth of 130 feet, the second at 189 feet, and the third at 228 feet. 
The water, which is of fairly good quality, flows out at the surface. 
Shales and sandstones make up the larger part of the section, as 
shown by the following record furnished by the owner, Mr. D. L. 
Knox, of Jacksboro : 

Record of well on Lost Valley Creek, near Squaw Mountain, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and yellow clay 

Yellow "soapstone " 

Red "soapstone " 

Light-blue "soapstone " 

Blue limestone 

Blue "soapstone " 

Coal 

Blue clay 

Sand and "soapstone" 

Red "soapstone " 

Blue "soapstone" 

Red "soapstone" 

Blue "soapstone" 

White sandstone; first flow of water 

Blue "soapstone" 

Red "soapstone " 

Blue "soapstone" and sandstone 

Red "soapstone" and sandstone -. 

Blue "soapstone" and sandstone 

Red sandstone 

Blue "soapstone " and sandstone 

White sandstone; second flow of water 

Blue "soapstone" ., 

White sandstone; third flow of water 

Blue sandy "soapstone." with vegetable matter, and thin layers of sandstone one-half 
inch to 8 inches thick 



Ft. in. 

8 
16 

8 
14 

9 
24 



7 
4 
6 
8 
15 
2 



10 
2 

13 

11 
9 

30 

111 



Ft.in. 

8 
24 
32 
46 
55 
79 

79 8 

82 8 

90 8 

97 8 

101 8 

107 8 

115 8 

130 8 

132 8 

138 8 

145 8 

153 8 

163 8 

165 8 

178 8 

189 8 

198 8 

228 8 

340 



The well starts below the coal, which outcrops at the foot of Squaw 
Mountain. The coal has been mined to some extent for local use. 

The following record of a boring made for oil on the Bazette ranch, 
10 miles a little east of north of Jacksboro on the Postoak road, has 
been furnished by Mr. Charles A. Lee. 

Record of boring for oil on Bazette ranch, 10 miles north of Jacksboro, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



1. Surface soil 

2. Black shale 

3. Sand with some oil; in other near-by wells this sand appears to be i6 to 12 feet thick; 

yielded 3 gallons of oil a day 

4. Sand with salt water 

5. Shale and some sand 

6. Running sand, with salt water 

7. Unknown , record missing 

8. Hard sandrock; oil with salt water under it 

9. Shale with shells 

10. Hard crystalline limestone 

11. Conglomerate, soft ." 

12. White crystalline limestone 

13. Sandstone and shale \ ".["[.[ 

14. Sandstone saturated with oil and gas 

15. Black shale 

16. Shale and "rock" ...,'„ [[""[" .["'.'.'.'.'.'.', 

17. Unknown 

18. Sandstone with gas; pressure sufficient to throw water over derrick shed; not pene- 

trated 



Feet. 

5 

95 

6 
10 

134 
10 

230 
10 

100 

50 

5 

100 
35 
10 
50 
40 
10 

30 



Feet. 
5 
100 

106 
116 
250 
260 
490 
500 
600 
650 
655 
755 
790 
800 
850 
890 
900 

930 



80 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



The upper 600 feet of this section apparently belongs to the Cisco, 
and the remainder (Nos. 10 to 18) to the Canyon formation. Several 
borings were made in this vicinity in the search for oil. A small 
amount of oil and some gas were found. 

Jacksboro is located on the western margin of the outcrop of 
the Canyon formation. The limestone beds exposed are about 20 
feet thick and belong to the upper series (No. 10) shown in the fore- 
going section. In the Texas reports i they are called the Campo- 
phyllum beds, from the great number of the cup coral (Campophyllum 
torquium) that they contain. These beds are underlain by 5 to 75 
feet of sandy clays and sandstones, locally conglomeratic, called by 
Drake the Bluff Creek bed. Below this in the Colorado coal field, 
as shown by Drake, are five series of limestones, each 25 to 75 feet 
thick, separated by corresponding thicknesses of clays and sandstones. 
The wells put down at Jacksboro show a greater proportion of clays 
and less limestone than in the region farther south. A quarry, 
located near the track of the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway 
at Jacksboro, is operated by the railroad company for ballast material. 
The beds furnish a good building stone, which has been used for some 
of the most prominent structures in the town. The rock is a hard 
bluish-gray compact fossiliferous limestone. The upper strata are 
rather irregular in bedding. The lowest stratum quarried is a dark- 
blue limestone about 15 inches in thickness, and from this stratum 
the best building stone is obtained. 

A number of wells have been put down in the town, the records of 
some of which follow: 

Record of well of Judge Horton, in the western part of Jacksboro, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and clay 

Blue shale 

Limestone 

Dark-blue shale or clay, with two or three streaks of limestone 

Sand and blue shale ("mixed with oil") 

Shell formation, with salt water 

Sand and salt water 

Blue shale (not penetrated). 



Feet. 
35 
15 
16 
139 
20 
2 
27 



Feet. 

35 

50 

66 

205 

225 

227 

254 



Record of well of M. W. Cooper, near center of Jacksboro, Tex. 



Clay 

Limestone 

Blue shale 

Clay 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Shale and sand ("some sulphur"). 
Blue shale (not penetrated) 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


52 


52 


22 


74 


25 


99 


14 


113 


20 


133 


10 


143 


57 


200 


12 


212 


3 


215 



» Drake, N. F., Report on the Colorado coal field: Fourth Ann. Kept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1892, p. 400. 



JACK COUNTY. 



81 



A well put down in 1899 about 12 miles south of Jacksboro for 
D. L. Knox, by W. F. Nawatny, gave the following record: 

Record of drill hole 12 miles south of Jacksboro, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth, 



1. Soil and earth , 

2. Yellow sandstone 

3. " Concrete rock " 

4. Blue soapstone 

5. Red soapstone 

6. Dark-blue soapstone, with hard iron nodules 

7. Hard carbonaceous sandy shale 

8. Soft blue "slate" (caving) 

9. Blue flinty limestone 

10. Blue soapstone 

11. Blue flinty limestone 

12. Blue soapstone 

13. Very hard limestone, with chert and pyrites. 

14. Dark streaky limestone 

15. Soft blue soapstone (caving) 

16. Limestone 

17. Gray sandy soapstone 

18. " Limy" sandstone 

19. Soft light-blue to gray streaky soapstone 

20. Sandstone 

21 . Flinty limestone 

22. Hard sandstone, honeycombed 



Feet. 

6 

20 

2 

42 

20 

188 

76 

13 

4J 

21 

7 

16 

30 

12 

22 

15 

21 

6 

79 

2 

4 

12 



Feet. 

6 

26 

28 

70 

9Q 

278 

354 

367 

371 $ 

374 

381 

397 

427 

439 

461 

476 

497 

503 

582 

584 

588 

600 



This well evidently starts in rock below any shown in the Jacksboro 
wells. In comparing this record with Drake's section 1 the following 
correlation can be fairly well established: 

Correlation of Drake's section and record of Knox drill hole, near Jacksboro, Tea. 
Drake's section (Canyon division) Knox drill hole. 

12. Campophyllum bed) >T ; . - 

11. Bluff Creek bed...} Not represented. 

10. Home Creek bed [limestone] 1 „ 

9. Hog Creek bed [clays and sandstones] J 

8. Chert be d[cherty limestones] Nos. 9 to 14. 

7. Bed No. 7 Nos. 15 to 18. 

6. Clear Creek bed [clay, some limestone] No. 19. 

5. Cedarton bed [sandstone] No. 20. 

4. Adams Branch limestone No. 21. 

3. Brownwood bed [upper sandstone] No. 22. 

On the Lee farm, 9 miles north of Jacksboro, on the West Fork of 
Trinity River, the Amber Petroleum Co., of Pittsburgh, Pa., sunk a 
well 2,200 feet deep in prospecting for oil. This well was begun in 
February and finished in July, 1907. The drillers were Joseph Kerr 
and Edward Wasson. The record as given by Mr. Kerr follows. 

i Fourth Ann. Rept. Texas Geol. Surrey, 1892, p. 387. 
70056°— wsp 317—13 6 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OE WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

Record of prospect hole of Amber Petroleum Co., 9 miles north of Jacksboro, Tex. 
[Diameter of well at mouth, 13 inches; at bottom, 5^ inches.] 



1 . Soft vellow earth 

2. Soft black "cement " rock 

3. Soft black sand and gravel 

4 Soft black '"cement" rock 

5. Red "mineral rock" 

6. White sand; hardness variable: first water, sa'.- . . . . 

7. Soft black "cement " rock 

8. Red rock, caved (probably shale) 

9. Hard gray sand; second water, salt 

10. Soft gray and red '-asphalt" rock 

11. Hard red limerock 

12. Soft black broken lime 

13. Dark "asphalt" rock 

14. White sand: salt water (third), and oil 

15. Soft black slate 

16. Sand and slate; salt water (fourth) at 800 feet 

17. " Asphalt " rock 

- :>ft white sand 

19. Hard black "asphalt " 

10. Soft white sand | show of red oil) 

21. Soft dark -asphalt" 

22. Soft white sand: salt water (fifth) 

23. Soft black slate | thin stratum). 

24. Soft white sand: salt water (fifth) 

25. Soft black slate 

26. Soft black -asphalt" 

27. Medium black slate 

2S. Medium gray sandy lime (show of oil and water) 

29. Soft white sand: salt water (sixth) in upper pan . . . 

30. Hard gray lime (almost flint) 

31. Medium black slate 

32. Hard grav sand v shale 

33. Soft black slate.' 

34. Very hard gray sand 

35. Soft' white slate 

- jft black slate 

37. Shell v brown and gray sand (smelled of oil and gas). 

Soft white slate.. 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


30 


30 


■ 


110 


10 


120 


85 


205 


30 


235 


25 


m 


90 


350 


10 


360 


40 


400 


175 


575 


15 




45 


635 


15 


650 


52 


702 


« 


750 


100 


850 


10 


860 


30 


m 


10 


900 


60 


960 


194} 
30 


1,154} 


70} 


1.255 


43 


1,2M 


6 


1,304 


■ 


1,384 


^ 


1,572 


103 


1,675 


25 


1,700 


75 




10 


1,815 


85 


1,900 


30 


1,930 


50 


1,980 


80 


2,060 


30 


2,09U 


110 


2,200 



The rock called ''asphalt" by the driller was so named because of 
its "smell and from the fact that it mixed with water." It was 
probably clay impregnated with oily matter. A clearly recognized 
bed in the record is the "cherty limestone" of the Canyon (So. 30). 
Beds Xos. 11 and 12 are apparently the top beds of the Canyon: and 
if so. the section would be interpreted as Cisco from 1 to 10, inclusive. 
575 feet, and Canyon for the remainder. The sandstones of the 
Strawn were not reached. Two facts of interest in this section are 
the great increase in thickness of the Canyon (from about S00 feet on 
the Colorado to over 1,645 feet on the TVest Fork of the Trinity) and 
the thinning out of the limestones, their place being taken by clays. 
It is of interest to note also that the " chert v bed" of the Canvon 
(So. 8 of Drake's section) is an excellent guide in the classification of 
well records in this region. The large amount of chert contained 
makes it the despair of the driller and leaves little doubt of its identity. 
It seems to have been the source of the cherty pebbles so abundant in 
some of the conglomerates of the Cisco. 



JACK COUNTY. 83 

In its northeastward extension the Canyon formation passes from 
sight beneath overlying beds several miles east of Cundiff. 

The Strawn formation occupies all that part of the county south- 
east of the Canyon area. The formation has a thickness of about 
4,000 feet and consists principally of sandstones alternating with 
thinner beds of blue clay. 

WATER CONDITIONS. 

Over a considerable part of the Cisco area the water conditions are 
essentially the same as in Young County. Water for domestic use 
is obtained from wells of moderate depth, generally in a porous 
sandstone, though locally in the overlying residual sands and clays. 
The water is likely to be charged with mineral matter, especially in 
the deeper wells. The part of the county underlain by the Cisco 
contains three areas in which flowing wells may be obtained. One is 
in the vicinity of Squaw Mountain, where there is a flowing well, the 
record of which is given on page 79. The second is at Gertrude; and 
the third is in the vicinity of Jeannette, 7 miles west of Jacksboro. 
In none of these wells is the flow strong. The wells all draw their 
supply apparently from a sandstone near the base of the Cisco forma- 
tion. Flowing wells in the southeast corner of Stephens County are 
supplied essentially from the same horizon. Whether flows could be 
obtained in the intervening belt has not been determined, but such 
data as are available indicate that they could not. In most wells in 
the region the water rises less than 50 feet above the bed in which it 
occurs. In the Cisco belt, however, it rises from 100 to 350 or 360 
feet. For example, the Squaw Mountain well is 340 feet deep and the 
water is said to have overflowed from a pipe 18 to 20 feet above the 
curb. The flowing wells at Gertrude are from 118 to 130 feet deep; 
how far the water from them will rise above the surface is not known. 
At Jeannette two flowing wells are reported, one 96 feet deep, the other 
105 feet. 

In the vicinity of Antelope dug wells are from 20 to 60 feet deep, 
and larger supplies are found at depths of 90 to 150 feet, but there 
are no flowing wells. In wells 150 feet in depth the water is said 
to rise within 70 feet of the surface. The water of some of the shallow 
wells is of good quality; in others it is too highly mineralized for use. 
The deeper waters usually show a higher content of mineral salts, 
and some of them are so salty that they are not available for domestic 
use or even for stock. 

Springs are of rare occurrence in the Cisco area. In the vicinity of 
Antelope there are several springs in the sandrock, one of which, on 
the farm of Mr. Adkins, is reported to be of considerable size. 



84 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 

The Canyon formation constitutes the most important water- 
bearing formation in the area studied. The limestones contain water 
in caverns and underground solution channels. These are the source 
of numerous springs which appear along the outcrops of the beds, at the 
contact with the underlying shale. (See PI. II B, p. 60.) The occur- 
rence of sucIjl cavities and passages, however, is very irregular, and 
although deep wells in limestone regions are likely to strike one or 
more such passages there is much uncertainty as to the outcome. 

Most of the wells in this area find water in the sands that are inter- 
bedded with the limestones. The principal water bed at Jacksboro 
is reached at depths of 145 to 230 feet. This is between the second 
and third limestones from the top of the Canyon formation. The 
beds included between the first and second limestones are locally 
water bearing, and some wells find their supplies at this horizon. 
M. W. Cooper, who has drilled many wells in this vicinity, states that 
the records will average about as follows: 

General section of deep wells at Jacksboro, Tex. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and clay 

Sandrock 

Clay 

Bhie shale 

Limestone 

Shale, in some wells containing sand and water. 

Limestone 

Shale 

Sandstone, chief water bed 



Feet. 

4 

8 

20 

4-20 

18-28 

80 

10-16 

5-15 

40 



Feet. 

4 

12 

32 

52 

80 

160 

176 

191 

231 



The water rises within about 75 feet of the surface in the deeper 
wells. In early days, according to Mr. Cooper, many of the wells 
flowed, but there are now no flowing wells in the town. The average 
depth of the wells is from 160 to 175 feet, depending on the location 
of the top and the differences in thickness of the beds. The water- 
bearing sand (No. 9) is not uniformly developed and is reported to 
thin out toward the east and north. In some wells the second 
limestone (No. 7) is replaced by sands and shales impregnated with 
oil, and the water found at this horizon is usually of bad quality. 
In some wells located on low ground the water flows out at the 
surface. 

The water in many of the wells at Jacksboro shows marked differ- 
ences in quality within short distances. A black oily substance is 
sometimes encountered in the upper part of the sandstone formation, 
but in the lower part of the beds good water may be found. The 
only attempt to find water supplies in deeper beds in this vicinity 



JACK COUNTY. 85 

was that of D. L. Knox, who sunk a well at his residence to a depth 
of 550 feet. The main water bed appears to be absent here, and the 
water at deeper horizons was found to be highly impregnated with 
salt. Although the amount of potable water available at the main 
horizon is considerable, it is insufficient to meet the demands made 
upon it by the growth of the town, and this, coupled with the fact 
that in so many wells the water is unfit for use, will soon make it 
necessary to consider the possibility of other sources of supply. As 
to this problem the data at hand offer little light. So far as known 
the Jacksboro water horizon is one of the best in the series. As in 
beds at other horizons, however, the water is affected locally by 
injurious ingredients, and as the beds dip westward under cover 
the water doubtless becomes more highly mineralized. As to water 
from deeper horizons, the data in hand indicate that though abundant, 
it is almost sure to be saline. 

In the western part of the Canyon area the conditions will be 
found much the same as at Jacksboro. Throughout most of this 
belt the Jacksboro water horizon will doubtless yield ample supplies. 
The conditions as to depth and pressure will manifestly vary with 
the locality. On the east this belt is bounded by the outcrop of 
the cherty limestone beds. 1 The areas farther east were not included 
in the present investigation, but the data available indicate that 
the water from deep wells in that region is likely to be more or less 
affected by mineral salts. 

Thomas Owen, living 2 miles southeast of Adieu, has a well 300 
feet deep. He reports the following record: 

Common earth about 15 feet, soapstone for about 82 feet, and struck a gray sandstone 
with water, which came up about 36 feet in the well. Continued boring but found 
no more water and finally struck a hard white rock into which the boring was con- 
tinued for 20 feet. 

This water-bearing sandstone was doubtless the same as that in 
the wells at Jacksboro and the "hard white rock" the cherty lime- 
stone which underlies it. 

Gibtown is situated in the southeast corner of the county, on the 
outcrop of the Strawn formation. In this vicinity water for domestic 
use is obtained from open and drilled wells ranging in depth from 
20 to 65 feet. The supplies are found in the superficial portion of 
the sands of the Strawn formation. The water is said to be hard, 
and the supplies are ample for the present needs of the community. 

Analyses of waters from a number of wells in Jack County are 
given on page 86. 

» These beds are those designated No. 8 in Drake's report on the Colorado coal field (Fourth Ann 
Kept. Texas Geol. Survey, 1892, p. 395). 



86 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WICHITA REGION, TEXAS. 



Analyses of ground waters in Jack County, Tex. 
[Tarts per million. Analyst, B. L. Glascock. Samples collected Sept. 24, 1907.] 



Silica (SiOj) 

Iron (Fe) 

Aluminum (Al) 

Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sodium (Na) 

Potassium (K) 

Carbonate radicle 

(CO,) 

Bicarbonate radicle 

(HCOj) 

Sulphate radicle (SO<) 
Nitrate radicle (NO s ).. 

Chlorine (CI) 

Total solids 

Turbiditv 



12 
.94 
2.0 
10 
3.0 
330 
8.0 

14 

517 
137 

1.8 
139 
907 





20 

.9 
3.0 
20 
3.5 
963 
13 

22 



610 

166 

1. 

1,040 

2,568 





33 



32 
.62 
2.4 
105 
54 
114 
7.8 

7.2 



439 
303 

55* 

922 





.44 



15 



197 

138 

1,040 

13 



7.2 



756 

1,590 

4. 

795 

4,190 





14 

.75 

1.3 

224 

153 

1,109 

15 



766 

1,758 

1.33 

870 

4,595 





10 



2.3 
8.5 
3.0 
291 
5.3 



4.8 



659 

80 

1. 

37 

758 





33 



2.5 
.8 
1.3 
9.0 
11 
293 
34 

29 

669 
100 

3. 

50 

844 





10 

2.0 

26 

11 

944 

12 

7.2 

549 

231 

3.1 

1,125 

2,766 





5.0 
.85 
1.0 
102 
31 
664 
132 



.0 



224 
1,603 

18l" 

2,806 




.44 



10 



5.0 
.8 
1.3 
96 
33 
689 
15 



266 

1,468 

1.1 

115 

2,513 





1. Well of J. R. Edmondson at Jeanette, Tex. 

2. Well of the postmaster at Finis, Tex. 

3. Vineyard mineral water at Vineyard, Tex. 

4. Helm's well, 12 miles east of Jacksboro, Vineyard, Tex. 

5. Well of W. L. Vesner, at Vineyard, Tex. 

6. Well of W. F. Worden, 1 mile west of courthouse, Jacksboro, Tex. 

7. Well of H. Hensley, 1J miles west of courthouse, Jacksboro. Tex. 

8. Well at Phipp's place, 2 miles northeast of courthouse, Jacksboro, Tex. 

9. Hensly & Johnson's farm well at Hess, Tex. 

10. Well at Hannible Pass place, Hess, Tex. 

The following notes regarding the usefulness of these waters 
have been prepared by R. B. Dole, chemist, United States Geological 
Survey: 

1. Estimated scale-forming ingredients, 50 parts per million; foaming ingredients, 
900 parts; water is noncorrosive, but would foam in boilers. It is high in mineral 
content, especially in alkalies, and would be poor in irrigation; it is potable. 

2. Very high in mineral content and unsuitable for use. 

3. A sulphate and carbonate water of rather high mineral content but notably 
lower in alkalies and in chlorides than most of the other waters. Estimated scale- 
forming ingredients, 450 parts per million; foaming ingredients, 350 parts; water is 
noncorrosive; good for irrigation; hard, but potable. 

4 and 5. Sodium sulphate waters of very high mineral content and unfit for use 
except possibly for irrigating land where thorough drainage and other precautions to 
prevent accumulation of alkali have been adopted. 

6 and 7. Sodium carbonate waters of moderately high mineral content and similar 
composition; poor for irrigation; low in scale-forming ingredients but too high in 
foaming ingredients to be suitable for boilers. 

8. A water of very high mineral content; unsuitable for use in boilers or for irriga- 
tion, and too salty to be good for domestic use, though drinkable. 

9 and 10. Sodium sulphate waters of very high mineral content and similar compo- 
sition; would foam in boilers; potable but not very good for domestic use; poor for 
irrigation. 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Adams, G. I., quoted 22 

" Albany " formation, discussion of 22 

Analyses of waters 41, 42, 44, 54, 62, 65, 69, 77, 86 

Archer County, geology of 55 

physiography of 55 

waters of 55-57 

B. 

Baylor County, geology of 67-68 

physiography of 67 

waters of 69-70 

Beede, J. W., quoted 27 

Bibliography, selections from 6-7 

Blake, W. P., quoted 32 

Brazos River, description of 9-10 



Canyon formation, geology of 16 

spring from, plate showing 60 

water in 17 

Case, E. C, quoted 26,27 

Cisco formation, geology of 17-20 

water in 21 

Clay County, geology of 45-47 

physiography of 44-45 

waters of 47-50 

Clays of the Clear Fork and Double Mountain 

formations 28-29 

of the Seymour formation 30-32 

of the Wichita formation 23 

Clear Fork and Double Mountain formations, 

discussion of 22 

geology of 28-29 

water in 29 

Climate, description of 8-9 

Coal, occurrence of, in Jack County 78, 79 

occurrence of, in Montague County 36-37 

in the Cisco formation 18 

in the Strawn formation 15 

in Young County 73-75 

Comanche series, rocks of 29-30 

Comstock, T. B., quoted 13 

Conglomerates of the Seymour formation 30-32 

Copper, occurrence of, in Archer County 55 

occurrence of, in Clay County 45 

in the Wichita formation 25 

Cummins, W. F., quoted 14, 

15, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28, 30, 31, 37, 74 

D. 

Dale, R. B., quotation from 77,86 

Double Mountain formation. See Clear Fork 
and Double Mountain forma- 
tions. 

Drainage, description of 9-10 

Drake, N. F., quoted 22,80,81 



P. 

Page. 
Foard County. See Hardeman and Foard 
counties. 

Fossils in Jack County 80 

in the Cisco formation 20 

in the Seymour formation 30-32 

in Throckmorton County 71 

in the Wichita formation 23-25 

G. 

Gardner, J. H., quoted 23 

Gas in the Strawn formation 15 

in the Wichita formation 26 

in Young County 75-76 

Girty, G. H., fossils identified by 20 

quoted 22 

Gould, C. N., quoted 28,30,33 

Gravels of the Recent series 32-34 

of the Seymour formation 30-32 

Gypsum of the Clear Fork and Double Moun- 
tain formations 28-29 

outcrop of, plate showing 60 

H. 

Hardeman and Foard counties, geology of. . . 60-61 

physiography of 60 

waters of 61-63 

Haskell County, geology of 64-65 

physiography of 64 

waters of 65 

Hill, R. T., bibliography by 6,28 

quoted 13 

I. 

Igneous rock, reported deposit of 34 

J. 

Jack County, geology of 78-83 

physiography of 78 

waters of 83-86 

Johnson, W. D., quoted 32 

K. 

Knox County, geology of 63-64 

physiography of 63 

waters of 64 

L. 

Lapham, J. E., quoted 33,34,58,59 

Limestones of the Canyon formation 16 

of the Cisco formation 18, 19 

of the Clear Fork and Double Mountain 

formations 23-29 

of the Comanche series 30 

of the Strawn formation 15 

of the Wichita formation 22-23, 24-25, 26-27 

87 



88 



INDEX. 




Page. 
M. 

Morrill, O. P., quoted 23 

"Millsap" formation, abandonment of name. 15 

Montague County, geology of 36-38 

physiography of 35-36 

waters of 38-44 

O. 

Oil, occurrence of, in Clay County 45-47 

occurrence of, in Jack County 79 

in the Wichita formation 25-26 

in Wichita County 52-53 

in Young County 75 

P. 

Pennsylvanian formations, occurrence of 14 

Permian series, formations of 21-22 

Physiography of Wichita region 7-8 

R. 

Recent series, geology of 32-34 

gravels of 32-34 

Rocks, relation of, to underground waters. . . 11 

water-bearing capacity of 13-14 

Roesler, F, A., quoted 56 

S. 

Sands of the Recent series 32-34 

of the Seymour formation 30-32 

Sandstones of the Canyon formation 16 

of the Cisco formation 18 

of the Clear Fork and Double Mountain 

formations 28-29 

of the Comanche series 30 

of the Strawn formation 15 

of the Wichita formation 23, 24, 26-27 

Seymour formation, geology of 30-32 

water in 32 

Silts of the Recent series 32-34 

of the Seymour formation 30-32 

Simonds, F. W., bibliography by 6 

Springs in Baylor County 70 

in Hardeman and Foard counties 62 

in Montague County 44 

in Throckmorton County 72 

In Wichita County 55 

in Wilbarger County 59 



Page. 

Strawn formation, geology of 15 

water in 15-16 

T. 

Tarr, R. 8., quoted 9,13 

Throckmorton County, geology of 70-72 

physiography of 70 

waters of 72 

U. 
Udden, J. A., quoted 19 

V. 
Volcanic ash, reported deposit of 34 

W. 

Water, insufficiency of 5 

in the Canyon formation 17 

in the Clear Fork and Double Mountain 

formations 29 

in the Recentseries 34 

in the Seymour formation 32 

in the Strawn formation 15-16 

in the Wichita formation 27-28 

See also names of counties. 

Waters, deep-lying, occurrence of 10-11 

deep-lying, relation of, to rock structure. 11 

Water resources, summary of 34-35 

Waters, underground, quality of 11-12 

Wells, fluctuating 12-13 

See also under names of counties. 

White, David, quoted 22 

Wichita County, geology of 51-53 

physiography of 50-51 

waters of 53-55 

Wichita formation, geology of 22-27 

limestones of 22-23 

water in 27-28 

Wichita region, geologic sketch map of 5 

location of. 5 

Wilbarger County, geology of 58-59 

physiography of 57-58 

waters of 59 

Williston, S. W., quoted 25,68 

Y. 

Young County, geology of 73-76 

physiography of 72 

waters of 76-78 



1 ) 1 



